Tottenham are ready to win ugly under Jose Mourinho, says captain Hugo Lloris

Big kick-off: Spurs face Everton in their opening match of the season
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
Matt Davies13 September 2020

Hugo Lloris insists Tottenham are preparing to win "ugly" for Jose Mourinho, who he says is still trying to instil a winning mentality within the squad.

Mourinho inherited a squad low of confidence when he took over from Mauricio Pochettino last November, taking them from 14th to sixth place with a strong finish to the season after a highly turbulent campaign.

Tottenham's 'All or Nothing' Amazon Prime documentary series has since been released, of which a prominent theme is Mourinho's demand that his side must avoid being too nice on the pitch.

The north London club kick-off their 2020-21 campaign at home to Everton this afternoon, and captain Lloris agrees Tottenham must be prepared to be "naughty" to win.

“It can be true in football, you sometimes have to know how to win in the ugly way,” Lloris told the Guardian.

Lloris and Son shared a fiery exchange in their win over Everton last season Photo: POOL/AFP via Getty Images
POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“You don’t always need to play the fantastic game to win, you just need to know how to win. Particularly on a bad day, it helps if you still know how to win.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be a good guy off the field, but when you are on the field you have to do everything you can. You might have to be naughty, to get the winning taste, but if you win that kind of game it makes you even stronger.

“You still need talent and team spirit and all the usual things, but sometimes that’s not enough. The manager is trying to instil a winning mentality, which is something we all have to follow.”

Premier League match preview: Tottenham v Everton

Tottenham have completed three signings prior to the start of the season in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Doherty and Joe Hart, all of whom are vocal players with proven Premier League experience.

Lloris believes there were positives to take from the end of last season, but insists an improved Tottenham now must look ahead and make a strong start to the campaign.

“It was tough at times last season but it belongs to the past,” he said. “We have to look ahead, we have to rebuild our confidence and we are making some progress.

“When I look at the games we played after the restart there were some good signals. I could see some improvements, especially in the way our manager wants us to play.

“We should not forget it was not easy for him either, arriving in the middle of the season, but now it’s a new season and important to make a good start.

“We have only had four weeks’ preparation, and there are far too many games to play, but it is the same for everyone. That’s why it is important to make a good start. We have a really good squad with very good spirit and we are ready to start and compete.”