You must be pleased with the reaction in the second half?
Of course I am, of course I’m pleased with the reaction. I think we have conditions to
perform better in the first half, but generally I think very good game, very good game. Of
course not the result we wanted and we showed that the way we played until the last second
as we tried to win it but we didn't manage to score more than a goal. We arrived so many
times in dangerous positions. Burnley is a team that defends well and doesn't concede
many goals, but we arrived in very dangerous positions and we didn't manage to do it. It's
hard for us in this moment to find these positions in the box, but pleased with the reaction,
pleased with the attitude and always on my players side. When I see players who played
two hours two days ago and give what they give today, I'm always on their side.
What was your thinking behind the two changes?
My thinking was that in the first half we didn't have a midfield. Simple as that. I
think more important than the tactics is to have midfield players that want the ball,
to have midfield players that connect the game, to have midfield players that press,
to have midfield players that recover ball, to have midfield players that win duels and
we didn't have it. Of course I'm not speaking about Skipp because Skipp's a kid of 19-years-old
that played two hours of football in the last day. I'm not critical with Skipp at all, at
all. Because I don't want another question about
the same story, I'm not going to run away and I have to say that Tanguy had enough time
to come to a different level. I know that the Premier League is very difficult and some
players it takes time. Some players it takes a long time to adapt to a different league,
but a player with this potential and responsibility has to give us more than he is giving us.
When you see the way Lo Celso, Lucas and players are playing every minute I was expecting more
in the first half but second half was really good.
Did you feel Eric Dier justified his selection?
Yeah and you could see that his performance was really solid again and completely under
emotional control. The abuse that comes from the stand in some occasions is a drama, is
a world drama, in some other occasions nothing happened. He was completely in control and
played well at centre-back and very well in midfield. I'm very happy with Eric of course.
Do you think assessment of your team this season is going to be clouded by the injuries you've had?
With the offensive volume of the second half, do you think Harry Kane doesn't score a goal
today? I think with the volume we had in the second half, I think what I call the box sharks,
the guys that smell the blood, they score goals. It's as simple as that. My team was
fantastic in the second half. We took risks and we played, we build and create. Of course
against a team that is always dangerous they can go there in the corner and score a goal,
they can go there in a counter attack and score a goal and kill you. The team was fantastic.
I don't think it's Tottenham, I think every club in the world. Even the teams that have
crazy squads, when you lose for three of four months your goalkeeper, your two strikers,
your two top scorers and then a midfield player like Sissoko, I don't even speak because we
have other options. It's not just Tottenham, it's every team in the world. You lose your
two top scorers. The new champions Liverpool, imagine Liverpool for four months without
Salah and Mane, and we are speaking about the best team in the country in this moment.
It's as simple as that. I think we are improving even without these players in some aspects
that are very important, very, very important. One of these aspects I tell you objectively,
this is a team that when I arrived couldn't win a match in the Premier League away from
home for one year. Couldn't cope with certain matches, with certain atmospheres, with certain
style of plays. Our results away from home are not phenomenal but we have three victories
away, three draws away. So there are things that are very difficult to change, especially
mentalities, the way you cope with certain types of matches. It doesn't look like because
by the tactical point of view it looks like one day we try to build something and one
day we try to build another thing with the players that are available. It's difficult
but mentalities are very difficult to change. Today I just love the mentality of my team
in the second half.
Were the changes at the start of the second half partly down to the way Burnley played as well?
I don't want to take credit from Burnley at all. But why didn't they adapt in the second
half? Because in the second half it was more difficult for them. In the second half we
had Lo Celso that wanted the ball all the time. We had Lo Celso also with a fantastic
selection of passes, I think he lost a dangerous ball minute 80 something. He was fantastic
with the ball. Every time Lucas was dropping between the lines and they couldn't stop him.
A few red cards stopping the game intelligent. The difference was made by the players. The
players made the difference.
How's Steven Bergwijn as he appeared to limp off at the end?
Yeah. The plan was for Steven to play 55-60 minutes and then Lucas to come. The plan was
to keep the fresh players on the pitch for 90 minutes, but I had to change that at half-time
immediately. Steven had to play for 90 minutes, so on top of that he’s injured. Let’s
see if it’s something minor and if he can make the effort because Tuesday I only want
two options, we win or we lose but we leave everything there. We go with everything. The
group is very strong and the group is very united. We go with everything. Tired not tired,
injured not injured. We go there Tuesday with everything.