Tottenham players must take responsibility for Mourinho sacking, admits Doherty

BetOdds Tottenham Hotspur José Mourinho Matt Doherty Premier League

The Irish right-back says it is a "shame" that the Portuguese manager's reign in north London ended prematurely

Matt Doherty has admitted the Tottenham players must take responsibility for Jose Mourinho's sacking after failing to deliver consistent results.

Mourinho was relieved of his managerial duties at Spurs after just 18 months in the role on April 19, days before the club's appearance in the Carabao Cup final.

The north London outfit lost the showpiece to Manchester City and ended up finishing seventh in the Premier League, with Doherty lamenting the squad's collective failure to meet Mourinho's high standards during the 2020-21 season.

"He was only there for 18 months," Doherty said of the Portuguese coach while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.

"If it was three or four years, it could be a different conversation, but we just weren't getting the results for him.

"The manager is always the one to lose his job, but as players, we were the ones on the pitch and we weren't able to get the results for him, which was a shame because he's one of the best managers ever."

Doherty earned a £15 million ($21m) move to Tottenham from Wolves last August, having established himself as one of the most consistent defenders in the top-flight at Molineux.

The 29-year-old wasn't able to live up to expectations during his first campaign at Spurs as he found himself in and out of the team under Mourinho, who was replaced in the dugout by Ryan Mason on an interim basis.

However, Doherty has nothing but praise for the man who is now set to become Roma's next permanent manager, adding: "I definitely got a fair crack of the whip. I still played 25, 26, 27 games - that's a lot of games in a season, so I definitely got a fair crack.

"I had a great relationship with him. He was my neighbour for the whole year, so the relationship was fine. He was a great guy, but unfortunately, these things happen in football. That was the case, but he is Jose Mourinho, he is one of the best ever and I have nothing but praise for him."

Doherty has made 29 appearances across all competitions for Tottenham and has yet to open his scoring account. The former Wolves defender did record four assists last term, though, and still has plenty of time to prove himself at the club with three years left to run on his contract.

Mourinho sees Spurs failings inspiring Kane

Man Utd 'must send message with Kane move'

Aurier: My time at Tottenham is up and I want PSG move

2021-06-06 10:00:02

Comments

Send Your Comment

Download Application