Glenn Hoddle column: Mourinho’s ‘best in the world’ methods, Lingard for England and Hudson-Odoi reaction

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Glenn Hoddle22 February 2021

From Jose Mourinho’s future at Tottenham to Jesse Lingard’s chances of an England call-up for the Euros and Thomas Tuchel’s comments about Callum Hudson-Odoi’s attitude not being right for Chelsea against Southampton, here Standard Sport’s columnist Glenn Hoddle answers your questions and picks out the player he will be watching closing this week.

Diane asks

Mourinho says his coaching methods are still the best in the world. What do you think?

You can only say that if they are proven right, and that means if success comes round the corner. He has done it with every club he has been with so you cannot pick holes in Jose’s past, his history. They are there for everyone to see.

Whether you like the tactics is another thing. But he has built teams on attack-minded players, like when he was first at Chelsea. What he does do is balance the team off really well. What he did at Inter Milan was quite staggering. He knows how to get the best out of sets of players.

Whether he can do it with Tottenham still remains to be seen. And that is the future, whether that statement is going to be proven. I am not so sure with this set of players.

Marcus asks

If Jesse Lingard continues his good form do you think there should be a place for him in the England squad for the Euros?

I think Gareth will be looking at it. Dele Alli is out of that scenario at the moment and he needs to get himself in a team, whether it is at Tottenham or somewhere else, playing again. It is similar to Lingard.

Premier League - West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur
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I think he has had some problems off the pitch and injuries to overcome but he looks as if his mind is free and the chains have come off him. He has got a smile on his face again, he is enjoying his football again and he has got talent.

But whether he is going to go ahead of James Maddison, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Phil Foden, or ahead of Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling out wide? I think he still has a little bit more to do.

Maria asks

What did you make of Thomas Tuchel’s comments about Callum Hudson-Odoi’s attitude not being right on Saturday?

I was doing the co-commentary and I was really scratching my head. I saw Hudson-Odoi kick a bottle up the stairs as he went up into the stands, and I thought well he is either upset because he is injured or upset because he has been subbed off after being put on.

I could not see the justification. The manager obviously knows the attitude he wants from his players but I did not see a poor attitude. I saw a player who actually came on and made a big difference to Chelsea and was making some lovely blind-side runs, getting to the by-line and creating stuff for the team.

Southampton v Chelsea - Premier League
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It must have been, and I am only guessing, that he may not have done some defensive duties that the manager wanted him to do. But certainly the way he played, I do not think it was justified taking him off. But the manager was closer to it and knows him far better than I do.

My player to watch this week is…

Callum Hudson-Odoi. I want to see how he responds now. I think he is such a talented player. Chelsea have big games against Atletico Madrid and Manchester United. I want to see a reaction from him.

The Glenn Hoddle Footy Show

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