Mourinho focuses on positives following Spurs loss at Bayern

Planet Football

Jose Mourinho’s heavily-rotated Tottenham Hotspur XI lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich, but the manager says he viewed it as a learning opportunity.

With Spurs guaranteed to qualify in second, and the hosts having already wrapped up the top spot, the Portuguese elected to rotate his team of a busy December schedule.

Mourinho handed starts to Kyle Walker-Peters, Juan Foyth, Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso for the Champions League clash.

It was a first start for all four men under Mourinho as the Portuguese took a look at his fringe players in the Group B dead rubber.

Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose also returned from the cold.

Serge Gnabry, who scored four goals in the 7-2 win in the reverse fixture, started for Bayern, with Robert Lewandowski named on the bench.

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Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Philippe Coutinho scored for the hosts, while Sessegnon scored for Spurs.

“That is his quality, that is the quality we know he has,” said Mourinho after Sessegnon’s lethal long-range strike equalised for Tottenham in the first half.

“He arrives always in dangerous positions and he is a good finisher. He can improve, he lost too many individual duels. He has a lot to develop but the potential is there.”

Harry Kane was left at home entirely and Son Heung-min only appeared as a second-half substitute, as Mourinho looked to rest his major stars ahead of vital games against Wolves, Chelsea and Brighton over the festive fixture period.

“A good match for me. I don’t want to speak about conclusions because it is too strong a word but I would say important information,” he added.

“I give you clearly a positive example because they are easier. Today I learned a lot about Juan Foyth. He didn’t play one minute for me until today and I learned more in these 90 minutes than I did in two or three weeks of training. No conclusions but good information.

“I would prefer to win or to draw and for Son to score in the last minute and lose 3-2 rather than 3-1 of course but we knew the match was important for other reasons. We didn’t want a result that leaves a shadow on us but I think positive things about many of the boys.”