Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld has admitted being annoyed with Jose Mourinho for leaving him out of the clash against Antwerp.
Spurs took on the Belgian side in the Europa League group stages at the end of last month, suffering a surprise 1-0 defeat on the night.
Alderweireld was left on the bench for the game, with Jose Mourinho instead electing to play left-back Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez as his centre-back pairing.
That was frustrating for Belgian Alderweireld, who missed out on the opportunity to take on a team from his home country.
And he has now admitted he was annoyed with the Tottenham boss but knew better than to voice that opinion publicly.
“In my head I cursed that I did not play against Antwerp,” he told VTM, relayed by Voetbal Nieuws.
“I would have liked to play against Antwerp, I certainly admit. But Mourinho is fine.
“He is very hard, but if you work and go through the fire for him, he will be on your side.
“For example, if you are going to make things difficult if you are not allowed to play against Antwerp, then he will drop you.”
Not complaining certainly has worked out in Alderweireld’s favour, with him playing 90 minutes in all of Tottenham’s games since being left out against Antwerp.
That’s coincided with a nice run of form for Spurs, who have won their last three games in the league and beaten Ludogorets in the Europa League.
The centre back will be hoping that can continue in the near future, and perhaps when that second clash with Antwerp rolls around, he’ll be part of Mourinho’s plans.
