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Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho was back smiling during his press conference ahead of his side's game against Brentford in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
The Portuguese tactician endured a tough few weeks following Spurs' recent slump in form. A run of three games without a win saw the north London club drop from the top of the Premier League table to outside the top four.
However, Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways over the weekend when they thumped Leeds United 3-0, moving them to fourth on the Premier League table.
All attention has now been turned to the Carabao Cup as Mourinho aims to win his first major piece of silverware with Tottenham Hotspur. The 57-year-old has won trophies wherever he’s managed, and winning the Carabao Cup is not new to him at all.
The League Cup was the first trophy he won when he joined Chelsea and Manchester United. He has won the competition four times overall.
Brentford will test Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur are in for a major test against Brentford. The Championship side has been one of the most impressive teams in the Carabao Cup thus far and are not new to eliminating Premier League clubs.
Brentford, who are fourth in the Championship, have already knocked out four Premier League teams from the competition.
Brentford beat Southampton in the preliminary rounds before ousting West Bromwich Albion. They then added Fulham and Newcastle United to their list of casualties in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals of the competition, respectively.
Brentford are also on a 16-game unbeaten run and are flying high in the Championship. Tottenham Hotspur may be the bigger team but they will not have it easy against the Championship side.
Jose Mourinho’s biggest game as Spurs manager
Tottenham Hotspur haven’t won any major trophy in over a decade, and that is one of the reasons why Jose Mourinho was appointed.
The Portuguese is a serial winner and has won trophies at every club he has managed. The challenge at Tottenham, though, is one of the toughest he has ever faced.
Ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Brentford, Mourinho described the encounter as his “biggest game” as Spurs manager. He said, as quoted by Express:
"This is the biggest game since I came here. In the perspective of the club chasing silverware for many years, I would say so. Of course we always have important matches. Last season we had a match at Crystal Palace that would give us participation in this season’s Europa League or not.
He added:
"The match against Leeds was very important as we went a few games without a victory in the Premier League, but a semi-final is always very important. The only one more important is a final."
Jose Mourinho has the chance to win his first silverware at Tottenham Hotspur but he’ll first have to find a way past a hugely impressive Brentford side in the semi-final.
