Here are the Tottenham Hotspur morning headlines for Wednesday, November 25.
Mourinho can repeat De Bruyne tactic to stop Ziyech
Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho can repeat a tactic he used to stop Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne when Spurs travel to face Chelsea on Sunday.
League leaders Spurs ran out 2-0 winners against Manchester City after keeping De Bruyne and his teammates quiet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And, as highlighted by former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football programme, Mourinho ensured that the dangerous De Bruyne’s runs were being tracked.
“Here, what’s unique is Tottenham have decided to track that run with their central midfielder, not just one side but both sides,” explained Howe.
"It makes a back five. They dealt with that really well. Sissoko then tracks Silva, so it’s a back six."
Mourinho can use a similar strategy to nullify Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech, explains Tashan Deniran-Alleyne, with the summer signing having looked razor-sharp in the Blues’ recent games.
Ziyech already has three assists to his name this season but another Mourinho masterclass could keep the Moroccan quiet and help lift Spurs to another morale-boosting win over a big six rival.
Alaba signing could transform Spurs' season
Signing soon-to-be out-of-contract Bayern Munich star David Alaba could help take Spurs to the next level, argues Graham Ruthven.
Alaba is yet to sign a new deal at the Allianz Arena with his current contract set to expire next summer, raising the likelihood of his departure.
While Spurs would likely face stiff competition for the versatile Austrian, the 28-year-old would be an upgrade on makeshift centre-half Eric Dier.
Alaba is also comfortable operating at full-back or in the holding role in midfield.
And with Tottenham at the top of the table under Mourinho, there is a possibility that Alaba would be attracted to north London as he weighs up his next move.
Mourinho has ‘brainwashed’ Spurs players - Sherwood
Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood believes Mourinho has “brainwashed” his players into believing they can win the Premier League title.
Mourinho has experienced ups-and-downs since replacing Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 but is clearly getting the best out of his squad after taking 20 points from their opening nine league games.
And Sherwood has been impressed by the Portuguese coach’s impact, arguing that he has brought his winning mentality to the club.
"He's found a way with the group of players he has,' Sherwood told talkSPORT.
"He's bought very well, [Sergio] Reguilon has been a good signing at left-back, but [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg for me has been the best signing. He fits into the style and just protects the two centre-halves.
"Jose has brainwashed his players to believe they have to work to achieve something – they need to win trophies, this group of players.
"When you play as solid as they do, he's almost brainwashed them into believing, and why wouldn't you believe in him?
"He's won 20 major trophies in his career and you're winning football matches, so then you start believing that this guy is the real deal, he knows what he's talking about, and why can't we win the league?"
