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Mourinho wanted to change the whole team during defeat to Royal Antwerp

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NOTE TO EDITORS: VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

VIDEO SHOWS: NEWS CONFERENCE WITH TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO FOLLOWING THEIR EUROPA LEAGUE MATCH AGAINST ROYAL ANTWERP

SHOWS:

ANTWERP, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 29, 2020) (TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL)

1. WIDE VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE WITH TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SAYING:

"I would like to make 11. I didn't make five because I was afraid of a long 45 minutes without any change to make. There is only one to blame, which is me. I made the team, I have chosen the players to start and at half time I tried to improve the situation but it was not enough."

3. WHITE FLASH

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO SAYING:

"Look you know what our best team is. You know the same thing that I know and that everybody knows. But I think the players, I always like to think that the players they deserve an opportunity. We have a big squad with lots of good players and it's my responsibility to give them opportunities to play and it is also their opportunity to catch the chance with both hands and be in conditions to ask for more. And tonight my future choices are going to be very easy."

5. WHITE FLASH

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) REPORTER ASKING JOSE MOURINHO:

"Can you please tell me, I know you said you could've made eleven substitutions and the defeat was not the fault of one player, but can I have your assessment of Dele Alli's first half display please?"

MOURINHO:

"I don't want to analyse individually. I don't like to do that especially, especially with you. I think it's fair to say that players with bad performances they influence the team, but also the team influence individual performances. So it's not for me to individualise and to bring some names to the table. You prefer to do that than myself.

"You always ask me before matches why this player is not playing, why this player is not playing, why this player is not selected. Maybe now for a few weeks you don't ask me that because you have the answer."

STORY: Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho said the disappointing performances of his fringe players in Thursday's (October 29) 1-0 Europa League loss to Royal Antwerp would make it "very easy" to pick his team going forward.

Mourinho made nine changes to the lineup from Monday's (October 26) 1-0 Premier League win at Burnley but Spurs fell behind inside 30 minutes after an error from defender Ben Davies allowed Antwerp forward Lior Refaelov to score from close range.

Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn, Giovani lo Celso and Carlos Vinicius were all replaced at halftime but Spurs were unable to get back on level terms. It was their first defeat since losing 1-0 to Everton on the Premier League's opening weekend in September.

"I would like to have made 11 changes at halftime," Mourinho told reporters. "I didn't make five as I was afraid of a long 45 minutes.

"I always like to think the players deserve an opportunity. We have a big squad with lots of good players," he added.

"It's my responsibility to give them opportunities but it's also their opportunity to catch the chance with both hands and ask for more.

"Tonight shows my future choices are going to be very easy."

(Producer: Mike Brock)