Jose Mourinho is trying to instill a winning mentality at Tottenham Hotspur and the players must buy into his philosophy even if it means sacrificing the style of play they have grown accustomed to, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has said.
Mourinho turned Spurs’ fortunes around after replacing Mauricio Pochettino in November last year, lifting the north London club from 14th in the table to sixth.
Footage from Spurs’ documentary on Amazon Prime has shown the Portuguese manager criticising his players for being too nice and Lloris believes his side must start being ‘naughty’ on the field.
“It can be true in football, you sometimes have to know how to win in the ugly way,” the 33-year-old Frenchman told the Guardian. “You don’t always need to play fantastic to win, you just need to 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.”
Spurs begin their Premier League campaign against Everton on Sunday and Lloris stressed on the importance of a fast start to help set the foundations for a successful season.
“We have a really good squad with very good spirit and we are ready to start and compete,” the World Cup-winning goalkeeper said.