pressure mounts 'We have problems I cannot resolve' - Jose Mourinho's shock confession at Spurs

Bookies slash odds on Mourinho being sacked by Spurs

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho. (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth - Pool/Getty Images)

February 22 2021 12:57 AM

Jose Mourinho has admitted he cannot solve Tottenham's problems, after their season hit rock bottom after a 2-1 defeat at West Ham.

Mourinho admitted it would now be 'very tough' to secure a top four finish after his side slipped nine points behind West Ham and ended the weekend languishing in ninth place in the Premier League.

The Spurs boss was already the firm favourite with the bookies to be the next manager to leave his post, but these comments may push him closer to an exit as he conceded he does not have the answer to Tottenham's problems.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho insists he is still one of the best coaches in the world despite his side’s alarming Premier League slump.

"I think for a long, long time, we have problems in the team that I cannot resolve by myself as a coach," declared Mourinho. "No coach can, but our potential is higher than we are. We should be in a much better position.

"I wouldn't say this is a crisis. I would say a bad, a really bad, run of results. That is obvious. We're losing too many matches

"We are still fighting in the Europa League. I did this at Manchester United. Of course it will be difficult, but the Europa League gives us a chance to qualify for the Champions League."

A loss at West Ham on Sunday afternoon was their fifth in six league matches and sees the pressure building on Mourinho, who is on one of the worst runs of his long managerial career.

Tottenham’s demise has been stark as from a position at the top of the table in mid-December they have won just three of last 13 games, meaning their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League through the league are all-but over.

They were undone by goals in either half from Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard, thanks partly to more defensive mistakes, with Lucas Moura’s second-half header getting them back in the game.

Mourinho is often accused of being out-dated, but was bullish when asked whether he questioned his methods amid the poor run of form.

The current run of form is far worse than the results which saw Mauricio Pochettino sacked in 2019, but Mourinho says his club, who are nine points adrift of West Ham in fourth, are not in crisis and hinted that the Europa League will now be their priority as a ticket into next season’s Champions League.

“When a team fights the way the team did until the last second, trying to get a different result, it’s never a group crisis, because groups are in crisis when you’re not together in the search for better results than you have," he added.

Bookmakers have trimmed their odds on Mourinho being sacked once more, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy facing a compensation bill in excess of £20million if he is forced to admit his latest managerial appointment has also failed to deliver.