Tottenham Hotspur star Lucas Moura was interviewed by ESPN Brasil at the weekend. Speaking from his home, he talked to several journalists about his season at the London side.
One of the main questions was about José Mourinho and the way the manager often makes public criticism towards his players.
Lucas Moura has claimed the squad has no problem with it, since all of them have a good relationship with the Portuguese boss.
“I am a little wary to talk about him. Because he’s praised me in interviews and has given me moral support that I have never had since I arrived in Europe,” Lucas Moura told ESPN Brasil.
“He’s given me an incredible game sequence as well, which did very well for me. The player needs that confidence, it’s crucial in football.
“And he’s one of the greatest managers in the history of football. It’s not me who’s saying that, it’s the numbers, it’s the facts, for everything he’s accomplished, everything he’s ever done.”
“And what I can say is that on a daily basis, he’s very different. Both in training, in the way he gives training, how much he gets involved in training, in the tactical part, in the technical part, even in the warm-up. He’s a guy who lives football, he breathes football 24 hours a day, I think. He’s always motivating us. Even when the training is at the gym, for weight training, he’s always there.
“And in dealing with the players, on a daily basis, he’s very, very, very sincere, very transparent. And I’ve said this in other interviews, when he needs to criticise, he will criticise. Regardless of who it is. He’ll speak to the player’s face, ‘you didn’t play anything today’. I’m being a little modest here, because sometimes the words are different. But then, the next day, everything is fine, it’s normal, because he says he is for the good of the player.
“He knows that we’re professionals, we are mostly fathers of families. Then he will say ‘you didn’t play anything, you did this and this’. The next day he’ll play with you, he’ll smile, he’ll tell a joke. He makes everyone comfortable. Everyone who has something to say to him, he makes them very comfortable. Nobody has a flea in their ear, with one foot behind to be able to talk to him, to knock on his door. He gives that opening.
“So the day-to-day life with him is very pleasant, very fun. It’s really been a fantastic experience to work with him.”
During the interview, Moura has also said Tottenham couldn’t match the expectations for the current season, blaming both the balance among Premier League sides and injuries which the squad has been having. Regarding his change of position to a striker, he says that was something which started with Mauricio Pochettino, and claims he feels like a ‘more complete player’ these days, despite all the struggles to adapt to a new role.
