Jose Mourinho vowed
to get Tottenham back “where we belong” next season after they settled for
Europa League qualification at the end of a troubled campaign.
Mourinho led
Tottenham to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League after Sunday’s 1-1 draw
at Crystal Palace.
Tottenham were 14th
when Mourinho took charge in November following Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking
and he endured a series of injuries to key players before the coronavirus
hiatus.
So, while Mourinho
was frustrated to have missed out on Champions League qualification, the
Tottenham boss believes the foundations have been laid for a return to the top
four next season.
“What we can do of
course is improve. When all the players are available we showed in this last period
where we belong. I don’t know, maybe in this period, after lockdown, we
finished third or fourth in the table,” Mourinho said.
“So that’s where we
belong. I want to have my team, my players, not a medical room full of players.
I want a pitch full of players.
“Of course as a
squad the main thing is to keep our very good players and after that improve
the squad.
“Are we going to
buy 10 players? No. Are we going to buy players for £100 million? No. We are
going to improve.”
Mourinho oversaw a
six-game unbeaten run to deliver Europa League qualification, overturning a
seven-point gap to sixth place after a loss at Sheffield United earlier this
month.
While the Europa
League doesn’t have the prestige of the Champions League—in which Tottenham
finished as runners-up last year—Mourinho said they should focus on winning the
competition next season.
“Of course
everybody that one day plays Champions League doesn’t want to go back and play
Europa League but it was the only thing possible after such a difficult season
for club,” he said.
“Arriving 14th
and handling things is not bad at all. I am quite happy next season we play in
Europa League and it’s just a question to motivate ourselves for that
competition and try to motivate the fans to support us and do something
beautiful.”
