Jose Mourinho has been employed at Tottenham for not much longer than a week and Spurs fans are already praising their new manager for his player selection. Lucas Moura, in particular, is delighted that he is finally getting his big chance at Tottenham.
The loyal supporters had a hard time grasping the rotation schemes that former manager Pochettino was using in the first phase of the season. Certain players didn’t deserve the game time in the eyes of the fans, while others just weren’t given the chance to show their worth.
Lucas Moura publicly exclaimed his appreciation for the two starts he has been granted by Jose Mourinho against West Ham and Olympiacos. Lucas said that he is “happy for the opportunity” that Mourinho has given him, admiring the coach for his ability to win trophies at any club.
For a player that almost single-handedly pulled Tottenham into their first-ever Champions League final with a second-half hat-trick, it seemed irrational that Pochettino gave Lucas so few opportunities in the starting lineup in the start of the season that followed.
Nevertheless, many around the club found the dismissal of the Argentine manager after his five-year reign incredibly upsetting, despite being confident of a positive season ahead under Mourinho. Lucas is one of those players who will be feeling good about the future after being deployed in his favoured wider role, insisting he is “not a No 9”.
Lucas has impressed in his two matches under new management, clearly looking more confident in his dribbling and attacking positioning, not afraid to drift into open space to receive the ball and take on defenders. We have all seen the incredible ability the Brazilian has on the ball – the Champions League semi-final against Ajax was the culmination of these technical skills.
Mourinho has recognised Lucas as a top-quality player by including him ahead of Eriksen in Spurs’ starting lineups and the 27-year-old now has the chance to develop into a world-class attacker – he may have another huge part to play in Spurs’ hunt for a major trophy in the 2019/20 campaign.
