José Mourinho has been speaking to the media ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Newcastle tomorrow, where he spoke about Japhet Tanganga.
The 58-year-old was asked about how the 22-year-old is getting on at right-back, a position he hadn’t played in often before Mourinho arrived.
As quoted by Football London, the Portuguese coach said: “He is not a giant, he needs to improve, his crossing needs to improve, the timings to arrive in attacking positions, but he is comfortable with the ball, he doesn’t make many mistakes, he is solid, reads the game well and is a player we can trust.”
This may sound overly critical towards a player who is a fantastic young talent.
However, this should be music to Tanganga’s ears.
Mourinho can often be a complex manager, who leaves players out with little explanation or guidance as to what they could do better.
Just ask Dele Alli, who would presumably love to know exactly what he could improve on after being frozen out this season.
In this case, Tanganga has been given a checklist of things to work on.
Should the 2-cap England Under-21 international start delivering David Beckham-esque crosses, and timing his runs up the flanks noticeably well, Mourinho will be able to see that he’s clearly been listened to.
While it could be perceived as criticism, it is at least constructive feedback from the ex-Chelsea boss towards the £23,077-a-week defender.
Effectively, Tanganga has had the metaphorical carrot dangled in front of him.
Realistically, if he works on these two areas of his game, he should see much more action under Mourinho.
If he doesn’t, then supporters could accuse the former Real Madrid boss of giving his young prodigies false hope.
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