Jose Mourinho has showed why he is no longer the Tottenham Hotspur manager after trotting out an arrogant comment on West Ham United star Declan Rice.
West Ham fans have been watching with great pride as Rice shows the rest of Europe what they have known for some time, that he is comfortably one of the best defensive midfielders around.
Rice is one of four key players on a booking going into the big quarter-final against Ukraine on Saturday night. Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips and Harry Maguire being the others.
Another booking for West Ham and England’s midfield enforcer would mean he’d be suspended for the semi-final.
Some have suggested West Ham’s 22-year-old star should be rested for the game against his clubmate Andriy Yarmolenko.
No room for complacency or arrogance in a major international tournament
Others believe such complacency and arrogance could cost England dear.
So to hear former Tottenham boss Mourinho – who was sacked and eventually replaced by his fellow Portuguese Nuno Espírito Santo – proclaim England could ‘easily’ cope without West Ham talisman Rice against Ukraine perhaps sums up why he has been sent packing with his tail between his legs from his last few jobs.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the ex Spurs boss was completely dismissive of Ukraine and by the same token suggested Rice is easily replaced.
Tottenham fans soon grew tired of Mourinho’s tired and outdated football views and philosophy.
Outdated Mourinho shows why Spurs let him go with outdated mentality in comments over resting indispensable Rice
Gareth Southgate cannot afford to underestimate any side, especially in a QUARTER-FINAL. And just like Tottenham star Harry Kane is key to everything England do, so is West Ham man Rice.
For an experienced manager to make such a claim is nothing short of laughable.
And Southgate would do well to ignore the “advice” from the once charismatic former Tottenham manager.
“I can answer without any pressure, I would say rest them both (Rice and Phillips),” Mourinho told talkSPORT.
“You don’t need Rice and Phillips to beat Ukraine. Maximum one of them is needed. Jordan Henderson I want to believe is in condition to play. You have other players with fresh conditions and desire and motivation to play.
“The way Rice finished the game, he was completely exhausted, cramps! I believe that the semi-final will be much more difficult than the quarter-final. England don’t need to take some of their players to extreme situations of fatigue. A rest to Rice and Phillips would be fantastic, then to play in the semi-finals and final in the maximum of potential.”
There is no like-for-like when it comes to West Ham’s talisman in this England squad
When you start plotting to rest players in international tournaments – just like when you try to plot an “easier” route to the final at the group stage, you can start plotting to fail.
There is no like-for-like when it comes to Rice in this England squad. It is a fallacy to suggest otherwise. Keep Rice in the side and trust him to get the job done without getting a booking.
If Southgate rests him and things don’t work out he will never live it down.
With that kind of mentality it is easy to see why Tottenham did not hesitate to let Mourinho go.
And a £70k-per-week star will miss most of West Ham’s pre-season as his future remains unclear.
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