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Matt Doherty responds to explicit Maccabi Haifa video mocking teammate

Matt Doherty says Tottenham will use a bizarre video from a Maccabi Haifa player as motivation in...



Matt Doherty responds to expli...
Soccer

Matt Doherty responds to explicit Maccabi Haifa video mocking teammate

Matt Doherty says Tottenham will use a bizarre video from a Maccabi Haifa player as motivation in their UEFA Europa League playoff round tie.

The sides meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night with a place in the group phase at stake.

Maccabi Haifa midfielder Abu Fani decided to add some extra spice to the game with an explicit video posted on social media last week.

Following their 2-1 win at Rostov, and realising they'd play Spurs in the next round, Fani was filmed grabbing his crotch while shouting, "Harry Kane is on my cock!"

The Haifa game comes just 48-hours after Spurs' penalty shootout win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup last-16.

When asked if he'd had time to properly analyse Thursday night's opponents, Mourinho replied, "The only thing they know about Maccabi is the funny video that the player did about us."

Doherty claimed to have not seen the video prior to his press conference, but said, "Definitely you can use that.

"We are pretty motivated as it is, with the players we have and the manager we have, I guess you can use that as something a little bit extra to show them who the bosses are here.

"It is something that might get mentioned but if I have to see the video first of all, I will have a look after this."

Doherty started both of Stephen Kenny's first two games in charge of the Republic of Ireland. But on Tuesday, the manager hinted he may have to accommodate both in the near future.

The former Wolves wing-back says he has nothing but a friendly rivalry with his international skipper.

And the €17million man is enjoying life in London, "I've settled in really well. I absolutely love it here. I've been down here a month now and I couldn't be happier with the move I've made. Things are going really well.

"On the international front, I've played in the last few games and it's always going to be a constant battle between me and Seamus and that's fine. Whoever plays, we get the full support of each other.

"We both like to play and we feel that we can play in some together but that's not up to us, it's up to the manager.

"I don't think that being at a bigger club than Wolves will necessarily guarantee I play. He's the captain at the end of the day and we all know the credentials he has and how good he's been and how consistent he's been in the Premier League and for Ireland in the last eight or nine years.

"It's probably a 50-50 over who players. I know he's in pretty good form at the moment so I might need to up my game over the next couple of days."

Wing-back v full-back

While at Wolves, Doherty played as a wing-back with a three-man defence behind him.

He's had to adapt to a different system at both club and international level since the summer, and says the difference is more marked than one might imagine.

"They're very different and I don't think people might realise they're that different but they are.

"Just positionally, I think I realised when I went into a back four consistently since the start of the season that you just don't have to do as much defending as a wing-back.

"So for me going into a back four it's certainly tougher and it's something I'm getting used to and improving with each game.

"So the differences are there, mostly defensively. I'm still able to get in at the back post and get forward but it's just harder work because you're coming from deeper and you're not necessarily up the pitch all the time.

"Defensively though it's just a lot about your position. When you play as a wing-back for so long, you pick up a few bad habits.

"You probably don't get in as tight to your centre-back as much as you should and it's about your body position.

"So I'm still learning and I'm still looking to improve in a back four. It's something that I'm actually excited about doing, in terms of I know I can play as a wing-back and it's about getting myself into this kind of shape and trying to excel at that shape also. It's something I'm excited about, playing in a back four.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiy7O5CsQVk&ab_channel=TottenhamHotspur

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Doherty Europa League Harry Kane Jose Mourinho Kane Maccabi Haifa Matt Doherty Mourinho Spurs Tottenham Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Europa League