Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham won’t have to use ‘pigsty’ facilities at Stoke

Jose Mourinho can take some comfort from the fact that his Carabao Cup date in Stoke will not involve a visit to the dressing room branded a ‘pigsty’ by furious Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock.

It is one less concern as he tries to stop the form slump of two wins in seven games and end Tottenham‘s 12-year wait for a trophy.

Mourinho received a video last week, secretly filmed by a friend at another club, warning him of the poor state of temporary facilities awaiting him at the bet365 Stadium. 

Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham side travel to Stoke in Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday

Jose Mourinho can take some comfort from fact Stoke have installed a marquee for away team

Birmingham head out of away team dressing room at Stoke in Championship clash this year

When Boro lost at Stoke in the Championship, on December 5, Warnock complained about the portacabin his team used a dressing room, claiming there were blocked toilets, water on the floor and faulty showers and fumes coming in from an engine outside.

He branded it ‘a pigsty’ and ‘an absolute disgrace’ and Mourinho was fearing the worst for his Premier League stars in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.

‘I have a video of it,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘It is a question for the authorities, the football authorities and the safety authorities.’

But Stoke have made changes, installing a new, spacious marquee, which was in place for the first time to welcome Blackburn on Saturday, and seems to have gone down well.

Mourinho will be relieved, and has to contend with nothing more than a Stoke team revived under Michael O’Neill after two unsatisfactory seasons thrashing around in the lower reaches of the Championship.

The Spurs boss has an affinity with the League Cup. He has won it four times in total, three times with Chelsea and once with Manchester United.

The old away dressing room was branded a ‘pigsty’ by Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock (R)

It was the first trophy he got his hands on during his two spells at Stamford Bridge and his time at Old Trafford.

To win the competition with Tottenham this season, would go some distance towards justifying the controversial decision to oust Mauricio Pochettino and appoint him last year.

They have not won anything since the League Cup win 2008 and have won only three major trophies in 36 years.

Mourinho was employed to deliver silverware and this will be in his sights even if he refuses to be deceived by a tie at Stoke, which most people expect him to win.

Stoke made changes to their facilities which were in place at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday

‘To win this tournament we need to win three matches,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘One against Stoke and then, if we beat Stoke, we will have two more matches to play. Against teams who have the same ambitions as we have.

‘If I am not wrong, Man City, Arsenal, Man Utd. Everton, Newcastle, Brentford, everybody wants the same. The difference between Championship and Premier League is minimal.

‘The teams are very good. They have very good players and have very good coaches. So even the fact we play Stoke, or Newcastle play Brentford, does not give us easier matches than the others.

Mourinho’s side will be looking to stay on track for first trophy since League Cup win in 2008

‘It is a difficult competition to win. We need to win three matches. But going in the direction from what we are saying from the beginning of the season, the next match is a match we want to win. 

‘And the next match is Stoke. It is isolated. It is a cup game. It is a game to go to the semi-finals or watch the semi-finals on TV. We have to go with a positive attitude and try to win.’

Mourinho promised ‘a mixture’ of his Premier League regulars and those who have made up the bulk of the team in the Europa League.

‘We need some players who need to play and deserve to play,’ he added. ‘From the ones that are playing more, others where we don’t have great options to make changes and have to keep them. But I will try to give a little bit of a rest to two or three.’