Jose Mourinho snaps at reporter for Gareth Bale question

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho refused to answer why on-loan winger Gareth Bale was left on the bench during Thursday night’s Premier League defeat to Chelsea, a game in which Spurs seemed to lack ideas and did little to create much to worry the visitors.

Bale was handed only his second Premier League start since returning to the club in a special homecoming last summer in the recent defeat by Brighton and returned to bench as Spurs lost a third consecutive league match at the hands of Mourinho’s former side.

But the Spurs boss wasn’t prepared to do any explaining as to why the 31-year-old, whose return has fallen flat since being hyped as one of the signings of the summer, wasn’t involved.

“Good question, but you don’t deserve an answer,” he told one reporter pressing for information.

“I’m doing my best. He is doing his best. Everybody is doing their best.”

Mourinho regretted the absence of Harry Kane with an ankle injury, suggesting the rest of the team lacks confidence without the talisman.

“I don’t like to speak about Harry Kane and company but they mean something for the confidence of the players,” Mourinho is quoted as saying by The Guardian.

“We tried without Vinicius against Brighton. We tried today with Vinicius and two up. We tried in the second half with him as a target man and two wingers and a No 10. We’re trying to go on the search but I saw togetherness.

“It’s not easy to see togetherness with bad results, difficulties, injuries. Togetherness is very easy to show when you’re on a high and winning matches. But in difficult moments it’s more difficult to see that togetherness but I saw that in the second half. No doubts for me.”

Spurs finish the week eighth in the Premier League table, seven points adrift of the top four and in the worst run of form of any side in the top half of the standings. Next up is a must-win home game against relegation fodder West Brom on Sunday afternoon, where Kane could potentially return.

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