Live bar December 8, Spurs beat Burnley 5-0, Mourinho won the first clean sheet in charge of the team. The Portuguese answered reporters' questions at a press conference after the game.
--Do you expect Son Heung-min to score such a goal?
Mourinho: Before this goal my son called him Sonaldo, Sonnardo Nazario, and today he really became Sonnardo Nazario, because the goal that broke into my mind was the day I had the privilege of sitting next to Sir Robson that day in 1996 and witnessed Ronaldo Nazario score the ball in the middle circle and then run to score, the two goals are very similar.
It was the only thing that came to my mind, it was an incredible goal, but it also represented an important performance, an important victory, sharing joy with the fans, sharing joy with the team, having young people coming off the bench, a 17-year-old making his debut, a clean sheet. I'm really happy that Burnley is a tough opponent to deal with.
Kevin Friend was also very good, it was the best performance of his career, very stable and very confident, always making accurate judgments, so I think everything in this game was great. The team will be on holiday tomorrow, for the first time in a long time. It was a perfect game and they could relax tomorrow.
- Tottenham's attack is still impressive, but how satisfied you are with today's defense and the process of defending (mourinho before).
Mourinho: Yeah, thank you (laughs), thank you for bringing up this defensive process. At halftime I told them that a clean sheet had to be a result of solidarity. Everyone's defense is great, and I can give you an example of Lucas Jr. playing great, he played very well defensively. Our will is very united, of course the other side has some chance but they are Burnley, and it is very difficult to get them to stop. They have some really good crosses and some top-notch players in the box. It was hard to defend them, but we managed to do well most of the time.
--You've experimented with some midfield combinations before, and what's the reason for excluding Dale and Sissoko today?
Mourinho: You're great, you know all the other midfield combinations. Ndombele, Skip, Winks, Wanyama. The problem is not the level of our midfielders, the problem is still the process. Except for the game against Manchester United, we have done a good job in terms of moving forward, except for that game we scored 5, 4, 3 goals, played a high level of football and always controlled the situation.
--It seems that Son Heung-min is the player of the coach's dream, he always gives everything, he coaches better than you expected?
Mourinho: I've felt and experienced before, of course not my own, it's some of my colleagues, and I remember talking to Sir Alex Ferguson about Park Ji-sung, and I think that's probably a cultural reason, they're very good to be coached, they like to learn and they're very humble. The feeling of coaching Son Xingyu is excellent. I met with his parents yesterday and I understood where this came from. The kid was fantastic and I was so happy.
--Is this the best lineup you've "inherited" from your predecessor on several occasions?
Jose Mourinho: (Laughs) I've coached Real Madrid, Inter, Chelsea, and I can't answer that question. All I can say is that I love this squad very much in terms of the players themselves and their people.
I can also say that I had this feeling before I came here, and this feeling has become even deeper since then. I like them very, very much, and I can't answer your question because it's very, very unfair to the great players, the great squads that we've won trophies together.
- Kane also scored two wonderful goals that we seemed to ignore
Mourinho: Not only goals, but also his overall performance, his performance in leadership in defence. Unbelievable, top players, top people (even say 6 tops), and I can't have a bad feeling with such a player.
I've been with football longer than they have, I've been more experienced, I'm here to help them, and if I can help them better, that's what I want to do.
--Can you tell us about the ball you gave to Parot after the game
Mourinho: It's a 17-year-old's Premier League debut, so he has a chance to make his football debut. Sometimes the ball is for a hat-trick player, but I think it makes more sense for 17-year-olds.
He was still playing in the Youth Champions League last week and today he is playing in the Premier League. Playing for Tottenham hotspur in the Premier League, playing for his home country in Dublin, I think it's been a fantastic week for him.
--Will he play against Bayern?
Mourinho: I don't know, I can only say that Kane will not be on, and I will have to think about other candidates.
(Shirakawa)