Tottenham Hotspur crashed out of the Europa League after a shocking 3-0 defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb earlier tonight.
Manager Jose Mourinho has been left baffled by the performance of his players and the Portuguese manager has questioned the attitude of the squad and apologised to the fans after the shock exit.
Spurs had a 2-0 lead coming into this game and they were expected to progress into the quarter-finals without any complications.
Mourinho claimed that his team did not look like they were playing an important match tonight and the players will have to improve their attitude if they are to succeed.
He said: “They left sweat, energy, blood. In the end, they left even tears of happiness. Very humble and committed. I have to praise them. On the other side, my team. I repeat, my team. They didn’t look like it was playing an important match. If for any one of them it is not important, for me it is.
“For the respect I have for my career and my job, every match is important. For every Tottenham fan at home every match matters. Another attitude is needed. To say I feel sad is not enough.
“What I feel is much more than sadness. I just left Dinamo dressing room where I went to praise the guys and I feel sorry one team is not my team won the game based on attitude and compromise. I feel more than sad. That is it.
“Football is not just about players who think they have more quality than others. The basis of football is attitude. They beat us on that. I told the players the risk of playing the way we were. It happened because I believe the players only realised it was at risk when they scored the second.”
The former Chelsea manager was brought in to bring silverware to the London club.
However, it has been a toxic partnership so far. Tottenham and Jose Mourinho have managed to bring the worst out of each other.
The Portuguese manager’s playing style has been unpopular amongst the fans and the players have failed to show the dedication and attitude required to execute his game plan.
It will be interesting to see if Spurs decide to part ways with Mourinho at the end of this season.
Fans disappointed with Dier and Sanchez
Meanwhile, the fans were disappointed with the performance of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez earlier tonight.
Both players have been heavily criticised for their performances this season and it will be interesting to see if Mourinho decides to go for a defensive overhaul in the summer.
Toby Alderweireld’s leadership was missing at the back for Tottenham tonight and some of the fans believe that it could be a key reason why they struggled against Zagreb.
