Jose Mourinho has said he will use short breaks in January and February to work with his players as if it was pre-season.
The Tottenham manager has taken charge of a team midway through a campaign for the first time, robbing him of the chance to implement the pre-season work he believes to be crucial.
But with the fixture list ensuring there will be longer periods between games in January and possibly February this term, Mourinho plans to use those blocks to put “a certain type of training” in place at Spurs.
Mourinho was quizzed on his plans for January, with journalists hoping the Portuguese might reveal some fresh transfer plans. But the former Manchester United and Chelsea boss made it clear his focus was on working with the players at his disposal.
Asked if he is any clearer on what he wants in January (via Football London), Mourinho said: “Perfectly clear. I want to work.
“I’m going to have time to work, which until now I don’t have. I complain every day with my staff, the frustration of I want to do a certain kind of training. I just can’t do it. It’s frustrating. I love pre-season to work. I don’t have [pre-season].
“January we’re going to have a little bit [of time] and then depending on the week in February where we are not going to play the Premier League, we are going to have another week. This is what I want. I want time. The calendar, the fixtures is going to give me a little bit of time in January and February. That’s what I want. I want that week to work.”
It remains unclear whether Mourinho will be given transfer funds in the winter window. Perhaps it depends on whether Christian Eriksen leaves, which would probably ensure there is a bit of money to spend.
