Jose Mourinho is adamant that he will win trophies at Tottenham as he hopes for “something special” in the Champions League.
Spurs need to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they take on RB Leipzig in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday night, but the odds are against them.
Steven Bergwijn was the latest attacking player to be struck down with injury on the eve of the game as he was ruled out by Mourinho for the rest of the season with a sprained ankle, joining Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in the treatment room.
It is a big blow for Mourinho’s hopes of winning silverware in his first campaign at Spurs, though the Portuguese is confident it will happen at some stage in his time at the club.
“I believe Tottenham is not going to be my only club without silverware,” he said. “I won it at every club and I believe I am going to do it also with Tottenham.
“I am here for three or four months. I took on the team in a very difficult situation and now it is even more difficult with so many problems we’re having but I believe in me, in the players, in the club and I believe that during my contract I am going to help the club to do it.
“It’s not me winning, it’s me helping the club and the players to do it.”
Despite their problems and needing a memorable night to progress, Mourinho was in bullish mood at his pre-match press conference at the Red Bull Arena.
The Portuguese knows how to win this competition against the odds and is feeling hopeful.
“Momentum is not the best but I feel the boys deserve something special,” the Portuguese said.
🎙️ @dele_official: "We’re in a position where everybody needs to step up and help turn this around. This isn’t a time to get our violins out, we need to step up and deal with these situations."#UCL ⚪️ #COYSpic.twitter.com/1AGCkiTeNM— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 9, 2020
“The group is very good, the boys give everything and again, in a very honest way, if we look at our games against Norwich, Wolves, Burnley, I think we fought really hard against all the circumstances.
“The boys deserve this kind of happiness that a victory in knockout Champions League can bring.
“But sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve. We just have to accept and move on but in this moment, we’re not in conditions to accept anything.
“We’re in conditions to fight for the tie.”
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