The Portuguese told his Tottenham squad that anger was more useful than self-pity following their loss at Old Trafford in midweek
Jose Mourinho told his Tottenham players that “they have to be raging, not sad” after their 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Wednesday night.
Since replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the Spurs dugout earlier this month, Mourinho had sparked an immediate turnaround in fortunes, winning all three of his opening fixtures at the helm.
Premier League wins over West Ham and Bournemouth, along with a Champions League victory against Olympiacos, lifted the mood around the club after a dismal start to the season, but United brought them back down to earth.
Marcus Rashford’s double, either side of a superb Dele Alli equaliser, secured United the win on the night, with Mourinho forced to endure an unhappy return to the Theatre of Dreams 11 months after losing his job in Manchester.
The enigmatic head coach claims there was a sad atmosphere in the Spurs dressing room post-match, which he wasn’t prepared to tolerate.
And ahead of Tottenham’s next Premier League fixture at home to Burnley on Saturday, Mourinho revealed what he told his players to help motivate them to bounce back in the immediate aftermath of a damaging loss.
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“I told the players [it] was a sad dressing room and that’s not what I like after a defeat,” he told a press conference.
“After a defeat you cannot be sad. You have to be more than that. You have to be raging. Being sad is not going to solve your problems.”
With Tanguy Ndombele and Eric Dier unable to start against United, Moussa Sissoko was drafted in to fill a central midfield role and struggled to cope with the intensity of the home side’s counter-attacking play.
Mourinho went on to express his belief that the Frenchman is more effective playing on the right, adding: “Honestly, I don’t think he [Sissoko] is a midfield player in a core position, No.6 or a double 6.
“The best position for him is when he has the freedom to go [forward], or from the right like he did vs Bournemouth.”
Giovani Lo Celso was handed his first minutes under Mourinho at Old Trafford, having struggled to break into the first team since his loan move from Real Betis over the summer.
The Spurs boss thinks the Argentine midfielder needs more time to adjust to life in the Premier League, but insists he has the potential to be a “good player” once he develops his all-round game in England.
“So many experienced players arrive in England and the click for them is not automatic,” said Mourinho. “So a young guy like Giovani also needs his time to adapt to the Premier League.
“You could see, even with Mauricio, an Argentine man like him… easy communication, surrounded by some boys who speak French, he speaks English, so even in those surroundings of support it’s not like he arrives here and explodes immediately.
“But we know the good player he is, give him time to develop and we think he is going to be a good player for us.”