'We go with a positive attitude and try to win' - Jose previews Stoke
Tue 22 December 2020, 16:32|
Tottenham Hotspur
Jose Mourinho will take little notice of Stoke’s Championship status as we lock horns for a place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night (5.30pm).
After a few tough seasons, including relegation from the Premier League and then finishing 15th and 16th in the Championship, Stoke appear rejuvenated this term under the guidance of Michael O’Neill, who impressed so much in nine years in charge of Northern Ireland.
Stoke go into this quarter-final sitting just outside the play-off places in seventh in the Championship, only three points off Swansea in third. They’ve also beaten Wolves and Villa to reach the last eight of the Carabao Cup.
Jose said: “It’s tough, of course, and when I look at the Championship clubs that had previously been in the Premier League, I look at them as Premier League teams.
“It’s the nature, the culture, the DNA. The teams are very good, they have very good players, very good coaches, so even the fact that we play Stoke or Newcastle play Brentford doesn’t give us easier matches.
“Going in the direction from what we are saying from the beginning of this season, the next match is the next match we want to win, and the next match is Stoke.
“It’s a big game for them, and a big game for us. We have to go again. It’s an important game, not because we lost the last two, but because it’s an opportunity to jump to a cup semi-final, which we shouldn’t waste.”
Jose looks set to rotate a little. Asked if he was likely to go with the players who had mainly played Europa League so far this season, or if it would be a mixture, Jose responded: “A mixture, some players, they need to play and deserve to play, and from the ones who are playing more, there are others where we don’t have great options to make chances, and we will keep them, but of course we will try to give a little bit of a rest to two or three of them.”
Asked how important it was to get a positive result after a tough week, Jose added: “It’s isolated. It has nothing to do with the match we just lost, and nothing to do with the match we have to play against Wolves next weekend. It’s a cup game, a game where we go to the semi-finals or watch them at home on TV. We have to go with a positive attitude and try to win it.”
