Hugo Lloris said Tottenham’s poor form “reflects what’s going on inside the club” after their shocking Europa League exit on Thursday, while branding their latest display “a disgrace”.
Spurs crashed out of the continental competition after losing the second leg of their last-16 tie against Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in extra time. They had entered the match up two goals on aggregate, fully expecting to advance to the quarter-finals.
In the wake of Tottenham’s collapse at Maksimir Stadium, Lloris admitted that internal issues are adversely affecting the squad’s performances and general morale.
What’s been said?
“It’s just a disgrace. I hope everyone in the changing room feels responsible,” the Tottenham goalkeeper told BT Sport.
“The team at the moment just reflects what’s going on inside the club.
“We have lack of basics, lack of fundamentals. All performance is just in relation to that.
“The way we play is just not enough. We had a great moment in the past because we could trust the togetherness in the team.
“Today, I’m not sure about that.”
Tottenham’s turbulent 2020-21 campaign
Talk of a potential tilt at the Premier League title started to build after Spurs’ flying start to the season which saw them arrive at the top of the table in November.
Tottenham laid down a marker by beating Manchester City 2-0 at home, but a dramatic downturn in fortunes was to follow over the festive period.
Mourinho’s men only one of their next six top-flight games, and an impressive 3-0 win against Leeds United in their first game post-new year turned out to be a false dawn.
Spurs lost five of their subsequent eight matches, including big six encounters against Liverpool, Chelsea and City, slipping out of the Champions League places in the process.
The Lilywhites also exited the FA Cup during that period, and although Mourinho then oversaw a mini-revival in the form of a five-game winning run across all competitions, Sunday’s derby defeat to Arsenal brought the team crashing back down to earth.
Dinamo compounded Tottenham’s misery in Europe to leave the team with only the Carabao Cup left to play for, but they will be major underdogs against City at Wembley in the final on April 25.
The bigger picture
Mourinho’s position in the Spurs dugout has been called into question amid his side’s erratic form, with it suggested that the Portuguese’s defensive tactics are holding back several key players.
He was handed a three-and-a-half-year contract when he replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the hot-seat back in November 2019, but the pressure is building with each passing game and another bad result against Aston Villa on Sunday could be the final straw.
Mourinho was brought in to bring Tottenham’s 13-year silverware drought to an end, but they are now in real danger of another trophyless season and another year without Champions League football.