Danny Murphy names Spurs man he felt sorry for on Thursday

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Danny Murphy has told the Daily Mail that he felt sorry for Jose Mourinho on Thursday as Tottenham Hotspur were knocked out of the Europa League in dramatic fashion.

Spurs looked set to book their spot in the quarter-final of the competition. They took a 2-0 lead into the second-leg of their tie with Dinamo Zagreb.

And the rematch appeared to be going fine as the game reached the hour-mark still goalless. However, the home side then scored three times, with the winner coming in extra-time.

The defeat has seen Tottenham take themselves off the route that arguably presented their best chance to make next season’s Champions League. And with that, questions about Mourinho’s future are being asked.

But Murphy has suggested that it is the players who have to shoulder the majority of the responsibility.

“I’m not a natural fan of Jose Mourinho’s tactics but I felt sorry for him on this occasion because the players let the club down,” he told the Daily Mail.

“There were poor decisions and little communication. Hugo Lloris kept playing out from the back on a dodgy pitch. Why wasn’t Kane, Eric Dier or other senior pros shouting at him to be more direct?”

Tottenham certainly had the quality in their side to win the tie. And they were able to bring on the likes of Gareth Bale, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso.

Having said that, it could be argued that something is seriously wrong if the manager is not able to see that team across the line. Mourinho surely cannot be deemed blameless.

Of course, many were also left perplexed by the tactics that led to their North London derby defeat last weekend.

Perhaps the players let Mourinho down, as Murphy suggests. But it is surely only ominous for Mourinho that that squad has capitulated in two key games in their season.