Mourinho’s sacking complicates our preparation: Hasenhuettl

Apr 21, 2021 06:00 am

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuettl said Jose Mourinho's sacking as Tottenham Hotspur boss makes it much harder for his side to prepare for their English Premier League encounter in London tomorrow morning (Singapore time).

Mourinho was dismissed on Monday, just two days before their game against Southampton and less than a week before they will appear in the League Cup final. Spurs announced yesterday that their head of player development Ryan Mason, 29, will take over as interim manager until the end of the season.

"It changes everything," Hasenhuettl told a news conference. "Everything you normally tell your players, what they have to expect, from one day to the next, is not there any more.

"We don't have a long time to prepare for the game, and it makes it even more difficult now. It's even more difficult because at the weekend they have a big final, but we have to handle it and concentrate on us."

Hasenhuettl said there was no doubts about Mourinho's standing as a manager but added that Spurs had underachieved under him. The London side are seventh in the EPL and risk missing out on a top-four spot. - REUTERS