Champions League (Quarterfinals, 1st Leg): Mourinho

MOURINHO: "ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN ENGLAND"

"I know English teams and their mindset. I know what it is like. Anything can happen in England, White Hart Lane is a difficult stadium to play in. Although it's a hard score to turn around they will put up a gight. We must respect this opponent. They are very talented. We must play a serious match and continue being a team that this year still has not lost a match in the Champions League".

"The fact that I said that 0-0 wouldn't be a bad outcome didn't mean that that was the score we wanted to play for. We proved it from the start by pressuring up front and playing fast. We started off really well. We played well in the second half. We pressured in attack and we didn't let them advance. We put a lot of speed on the ball and played with ambition. We deserved this outcome".

Jose Mourinho

"I thought it was important to have three forwards and today you saw why. With Benzema injured, today we had one striker playing and another on the bench. I am very happy with all three because they are all different and they can all contribute a lot".

"The matter regarding yellow cards is interesting because we have a lot of players who can be suspended. The normal thing would have been to see one get booked and forced to miss the match in London. But Mourinho, Real Madrid, Casillas and Xabi Alonso are the only ones in the world to be fined for that reason. That is why we didn't force any bookings and that is why we are heading into the second leg with a lot of players sitting on bookings. There is no question that Pepe's booking was not intentional. We are fine with the way we acted and I can proudly say that I am the only coach to be suspended for having done so".

"The referee had to do what he had to. Peter [Crouch] should have controlled himself better having already been booked. The match could have been completely different. His team closed in defense and was unable to answer after he left the match. Not the way I like football and true football matches. I hope no one criticizes Tottenham for not having taken a shot on goal. Ten against eleven at this level is impossible because all you can do is defend".

"All players are at risk of injury if they play, and even more so if they enter a match with problems. We will see how Cristiano responds tomorrow after playing 90 minutes, but I think he didn't have any problems while playing and he finished without any problems".

"Kaka's return is very good for the Champions League. He has a lot of experience. So is Higuain's because he can score. Benzema is almost ready to return. We have to try to win every match that we have left"

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