After Tottenham lost their season opener against Everton, Jose Mourinho questioned the fitness levels of his squad due to the fragmented nature of the pre-season.
As Jose Mourinho walked across the pitch of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time, the disappointment was etched on the face of the Portuguese coach as his side lost their season opener to Everton.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's header just before the hour mark proved to be the difference as Carlo Ancelotti's side picked up a deserved win.
Speaking with Sky Sports after the game, Mourinho said that Dele Alli was taken off for tactical reasons because Everton only deployed one pivot in midfield. Mourinho said that he wanted more aggressive and dynamic pressing from his forwards to exploit the space.
However, the Spurs manager further explained that he was disappointed with the energy and fitness levels that his side showed.
"The struggle started in the way we pressed, or I would say, in the way we didn't press. Our pressure up front was very poor. I would say it was a lazy pressure and when you've got lazy pressure, you don't press and you let the opponents build from the back and they've got players of incredible quality. That's not just Everton because almost every team in the Premier League have quality. When you let them play from the back, they're comfortable having the ball."
During the interview, Mourinho rued missed chances while admitting that Everton deserved their win.
However, when asked about the topic of 'lazy pressure' later in the interview, Mourinho used Irish international Matt Doherty as an example.
"Lazy pressure up front. That's what I'm saying and that creates unbalanced situations for the rest of the team. I could also feel some of my players are not fit. Matt (Doherty) was struggling to play the way he plays and the way you want him to play, as an example.
"We also had other players that were a little bit in trouble from the physical point of view - due to very strange preseasons for some, and in other cases, not even a pre-season.
Spurs face Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv on Thursday in their single-leg Europa League second-round tie.
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