Stats are like meat badly cooked: Mourinho
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho after the match on Dec 10, 2020.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON • Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has brushed off criticism of his side's conservative playing style in the aftermath of Wednesday's 2-1 defeat by Liverpool, saying there is too much emphasis on meaningless possession statistics.
Spurs had just 24 per cent of the ball and 19 passes in the final third compared to Liverpool's 200. But Mourinho insisted the better team had lost after a 90th-minute header from Roberto Firmino denied them a point.
"I like everything in football," he said ahead of today's Premier League game at home to Leicester City. "I like organised attack, I like football with more transitions, I like to defend with a high block or with a low block.
"The media love the word possession and stats. Sometimes you say, 'the stats say player B had 92 per cent efficiency in his passing'.
"But they don't say that player only made passes of two metres. And they don't say that player was a centre back who only passed to the other centre back.
"The stats many times are like an incredible piece of meat or fish but badly cooked. It doesn't tell me much.
"What it tells me is the number of goals you score and chances you create. You can have less of the ball but score more goals."
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers also looked beyond the statistics and praised Mourinho for his work since he was appointed in November last year.
"They're set up very well. They're very good on the counter-attack and are well organised," Rodgers said. "They have talents in (Harry) Kane and Son (Heung-min) that can cause you problems. They look like Jose's team now."
Spurs have been boosted by the return of Gareth Bale from illness, although Mourinho gave no indication whether the Wales forward - who has made only one Premier League start since returning from Real Madrid - would feature.
The Portuguese also praised Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, whose remarkable career continues to flourish at the age of 33, with 10 goals to his name in 11 Premier League starts this season.
Vardy, who spearheaded Leicester's fairytale Premier League triumph in 2016, did not play in the top flight until 2014.
"Fantastic player. If I was a defender I wouldn't be happy to play against him because he is very dangerous. He's the kind of player I believe would be important in every team," said Mourinho.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
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