Jose Mourinho has opened up on his decision to change almost half of his Tottenham Hotspur team for the Carabao Cup semi-final against Brentford.
Spurs returned to winning ways in the Premier League at the weekend with a 3-0 win over Leeds United as Harry Kane, Son-Heung min, and Toby Alderweireld all got on the scoresheet in north London.
However, the Belgian defender is one of five players to have been left out of the starting XI for the big game against the Championship outfit.
Matt Doherty, Ben Davies, Harry Winks, and Steven Bergwijn have also been named on what is a very strong Tottenham bench.
Much of the fan reaction to Mourinho's team selection has been positive, although some fans have questioned why Davinson Sanchez has been preferred to Alderweireld at centre-back.
Meanwhile, Sergio Reguilon's inclusion is a hot topic following his involvement with Giovani Lo Celso and Erik Lamela in the Christmas Day gathering of at least 18 people, which was strongly condemned by the club.
Elsewhere, there starts for Serge Aurier, Lucas Moura, and Moussa Sissoko.
Speaking ahead of kick-off, Mourinho explained one change was enforced and that after a tough game against Leeds he had to freshen up his side.
"Matt Doherty, red card suspended and then a little bit of rotation," he explained to Sky Sports. "Hard match to play against Leeds, so it's normal to give a little bit of fresh legs to the team."
Mourinho, a specialist in the League Cup having won it with both Chelsea and Manchester United, then discussed the pressure of being heavy favourites to beat Brentford and reach the final.
Although, the Spurs boss has said his side should relish the occasion.
"I don't know if it's pressure, the pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself," Mourinho added. "It's not the pressure that eventually can come from the outside.
"It's a semi-final, everytime a team is in a semi-final you feel that you are not far from playing in the final.
"You know that you have 25 percent of winning the competition, so when you get into this stage of any competition, it's normal that you feel that desire which is what we want to feel."
