José Mourinho is the right man to bring Tottenham the title, says Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura says Tottenham can win the Premier League this season if they believe in themselves. The leaders have beaten Manchester United and City on the way to taking 20 points from nine games.

José Mourinho, who oversaw an encouraging summer transfer window, has refused to look beyond the next game which, in the league, is Sunday’s visit to third-placed Chelsea. They host Ludogorets in the Europa League on Thursday, a tie Mourinho feels they have to win after the 1-0 defeat at Antwerp.

Lucas, who joined Spurs in January 2018 from Paris Saint-Germain, where he won four league titles, said: “We are building a very good mentality for the season and we made very good signings in the summer. We know how difficult it is but why not to think to win the Premier League? We have the capacity to win. Every game that we play, every time we are on the pitch, we need to think we are able to win the Premier League.

“Mourinho wants to win a trophy here. He knows we are capable of winning. We have all that we need to win. He’s the right man to bring us to the trophy. We just need to trust in him and believe in ourselves. Now is the time. We have a great manager, we have great players and we need to speak about this.

“I have a very good feeling about this season. We need to think of every game like a final. We need to believe and trust in our team, our club and believe it’s possible because in football everything is possible.”

José Mourinho oversees Tottenham training
José Mourinho oversees Tottenham training for Thursday’s Europa League tie against Ludogorets. Photograph: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Getty Images

Mourinho referenced the Antwerp defeat, unprompted, on two separate occasions when speaking to media on Wednesday. It continues to niggle him and it has placed extra pressure on the visit of Ludogorets, which he does not need before the Chelsea game as he juggles his resources.

Toby Alderweireld will be out for two to four weeks with the abductor muscle injury he sustained against City on Saturday and Matt Doherty is a fitness doubt after returning from coronavirus self-isolation. Joe Rodon is ineligible in the Europa League, while Érik Lamela (foot) is also out.

Mourinho said Chelsea had been “lucky” to play their Champions League game against Rennes on Tuesday, giving them extra time to prepare for Sunday.

The remorselessness of the schedule has been under the spotlight, with the Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, attacking the TV companies for the part they have played in it. Klopp feels it has placed an intolerable physical strain on the players. But Mourinho said nothing ever changes in England and managers simply have to adapt.

“Klopp arrived by 2014, 2015, something like that,” he said. “I arrived 2004 so what he knows from 2014, 2015, I know since 2004. And nothing changes. We have to adapt to it and that’s the way it is.”

Mourinho also directed a barb at The Best Fifa Football Awards, which announced their shortlists on Wednesday. “It has a lot to do with certain club power in the media,” he said. “It has to do a lot with the people that care more about it and work better behind the scenes to try to get in there. So I don’t give much credit to it.”

source: theguardian.com