Jose Mourinho on Harry Winks' decision to go to the dressing room during Spurs' win over Antwerp: "I told them all to go, some preferred to stay, even being cold, and still participate in the game from the bench. Winks decided to go, I'm happy with that, I'm the one who told him to do it."
Friday 11 December 2020 10:25, UK
Jose Mourinho defended Harry Winks and Dele Alli despite the pair's early exit down the tunnel during Spurs' 2-0 win over Antwerp.
Winks disappeared back to the home dressing room after being substituted moments after Spurs' 55th-minute opener against Antwerp, while Alli, an unused substitute, briefly departed down the tunnel before returning several minutes later towards the end of the game.
The pair have started just four of Spurs' 11 league games between them this season, but Mourinho said both had his blessing to leave the stands early on a cold night in north London.
"I told [Winks] to go," he said. "I told every player that left the pitch to go, when the weather is cold, I prefer the players to go to the dressing room and have a shower and be warm and safe.
"I told them all to go, some preferred to stay, even being cold, and still participate in the game from the bench. Winks decided to go, I'm happy with that because I'm the one who told him to do it."
On Alli, he added: "Let's not run away from the reality, a player on the bench who realises with five changes he is not one of them, of course he is not a happy player and I wouldn't expect him to be.
"But every player who is on the bench, or leaves the pitch in cold weather with me, they can go to the dressing room and I even prefer if that happened."
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son were surprise inclusions for the last half-hour of Spurs' win, despite the club's packed domestic and European schedule and their next game at Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports Premier League this Sunday, coming less than 72 hours after the Antwerp victory.
Mourinho played down the significance of their introduction from the bench, saying: "The thinking was to win the match. In spite of being in control always, and them not creating any chances I remember, the game was still open.
"To play 30 minutes is not an accumulation of fatigue, to play 30 minutes is less than 90 minutes or 100 minutes of a training session, so it was not a problem at all.
"I decided after the first goal to bring fresh players and give a last kick in the story of the game, and it was game over when Gio [Lo Celso] scored the second goal."
This week on the Pitch to Post Preview Podcast, Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports News reporters James Cooper and Ben Ransom to discuss the Manchester derby, including whether David de Gea will be dropped, why John Stones is back in the City side, and how it could all play out.
Their colleague Michael Bridge is on the line to discuss Crystal Palace vs table-toppers Tottenham, plus Sky Sports Data Editor Adam Smith has the numbers behind Arsenal's attack and Liverpool's strength in depth - as well as his Pitch for what will happen in the Premier League this weekend!
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