Mourinho Questions Players’ Toughness After Sheffield Defeat

Jose Mourinho has questioned Tottenham Hotspur’s mental toughness after losing 3-1 to Sheffield United on Thursday, Tribal FOotball reports.

Spurs found an equaliser through Harry Kane two minutes after Sander Berge’s opener.

The goal was eventually overturned by VAR, and Mourinho thinks his players didn’t respond in the right way.

“We have to do better, we have to be mentally stronger to cope with what happened during the game,” Mourinho said afterwards.

“We cannot mentally die after Michael Oliver gives a decision. I know that it’s very difficult to take, I know the players around the situation know what happened, you celebrate and feel the goal.

“I know that it kick our teeth but with 50 minutes to go, we have to be stronger. That’s my criticism to my team in the second half, in spite of control, ball possession, trying.

“We lost that – I don’t want to say desire – but we were not strong enough mentally to dominate so much but not with that sharpness and intensity that makes you create chances.

“In the end in the second half we had the ball but we didn’t have the chances to change it.

“I think it did [affect Spurs], clearly it did. We were playing well in the first half in spite of us not creating many chances. They scored, the team reacted immediately.

“We scored and then I think the team felt it too much and when you compete you have to be ready for unlucky situations, for big mistakes their ‘keeper makes, the penalty that some guy misses. You have to be ready to cope with negative moments and go to the last minute.

“Now I know more the profile of my players. I felt it. I feared that in the second half we wouldn’t be strong enough to cope with a team that when they’re winning just defends and counter-attacks.”