Danny Murphy has defended Jose Mourinho amid criticism over the job he’s done at Tottenham and insists ‘all is not lost’ this season.
Mourinho has come under fire following defeat in the north London derby to Arsenal and Spurs crashing out of the Europa League to Dinamo Zagreb last week.
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Spurs still have the Carabao Cup final next month, against Man City, while Sunday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa put them just three points off the top four.
“We have to give it perspective, the midweek performance and result was horrendous. It was poor in so many ways,” Murphy told White and Jordan on talkSPORT.
“Over the last five games, Tottenham are top of the form league table. They did lose to Arsenal and didn’t play well, but they’ve been going well and playing well.
“They’d actually got themselves a bit of a run going to try and compete for the top four, they’re three points off Chelsea, so all is not lost.”
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Murphy continued: “I think Mourinho is very adept at using the tools he has. I don’t think he can make Tottenham into Man City or Liverpool and play that way with the players he’s got.
“I think he looked at the group of players, and he’s tried to adapt the way he plays to get success.
“If Tottenham win that game against City and finish in the top four, that’s a tremendous achievement with that group of players.
“Some will sit here and say ‘well, he should do that with that group of players’. No, the budget he has and squad he’s got doesn’t compare to some of the clubs he’s competing with.”
Mourinho has been accused of playing a negative style of football with Tottenham that has not impressed fans.
But Murphy argued that the Portuguese manager is playing within the confines of what the talent at his disposal allows.
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“If Mourinho walked into Manchester City tomorrow, do you think he’d play that way? No,” The former Tottenham midfielder said.
“We saw Mourinho with the best players at his disposal at Real Madrid and break all kinds of points and goalscoring records when they won the league.
“He also had a very fluent and good to watch Chelsea side when he had the funds to buy the best players.
“I think he’s adaptable, but I believe that Tottenham team is better than it’s shown with the quality it’s got.
“They’ve shown glimpses of that and that’s where the frustration comes as a lot of Tottenham fans think he should be more positive with the players they’ve got.
“That’s not how he’s going to get success because as soon as he plays on the front foot, they’re not going to be as competitive as they are.”
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