Jose Mourinho shares which injury crisis he feels is worse – Spurs earlier this year or Liverpool now

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has given his thoughts on the injury crisis Spurs endured earlier this year compared to the one Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are going through now.

The Tottenham boss found himself without a recognised striker early in 2020 as both Harry Kane and Son Heung-min suffered long-term injuries.

Moussa Sissoko and Juan Foyth were also sidelined in February, while Steven Bergwijn was ruled out for the season – based on the original schedule – in March.

Liverpool are now in a similar predicament, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out long-term, plus several other players also carrying knocks.

When asked to compare the two, Mourinho spoke of how it’s easier to replace an absent defender or midfielder than a striker or goalkeeper.

“It’s difficult to compare because [for us] it was an accumulation of injuries all in the same position,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.

“I used to say that strikers and goalkeepers are the ones you cannot replace because if you lose a right back you will have a centre back who can adapt there.

“If you lose a midfielder you will have some winger or central defender who will do the job for you, and so on and so on and so on.

“Goalscorers no chance. You don’t have a left back that’s going to play striker. So, when we lost Harry and Sonny, the team was in a situation where we had no chance.”

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It’s always a huge shame when a team goes through an injury crisis, but Liverpool have handled theirs quite well so far, with no noticeable drop in their performances and results.

With Spurs, their form tumbled prior to the suspension of English and European football, and it looked as though their season was crashing around them, so missed were the sidelined players.