Serge Aurier has stated that former Tottenham assistant boss Joao Sacramento "didn't have a good relationship with the dressing room" during his time in north London. Following the appointment of Jose Mourinho as head coach in November 2019 after Mauricio Pochettino's exit, the Portuguese brought Sacramento to the club as part of his Spurs backroom team.
The 33-year-old had previously assisted Christophe Galtier at Lille for almost three years before he was given the opportunity by Mourinho to move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Speaking ahead of Villarreal's Champions League showdown against Liverpool, Aurier believes there was a "lack of good communication" with Sacramento and that's why "everything deteriorated" in the end.
"Football is different compared to 10 years ago. [Mourinho] is still a great coach, but there are things that have evolved. Sometimes players need more love and attention. I'm not speaking for Jose, I'm speaking for his assistant," the Ivorian told The Telegraph. "Joao is a tough guy and he didn't have a good relationship with the dressing room, that's why everything deteriorated. There was a lack of good communication.”
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He added: "It was one of his first experiences in a first team and he lacked calm with the players. He needed to be more concerned about the person behind the player. Sometimes when you don't play a lot of s— goes through your head, and you need someone to calm you down and help you, to give you good vibes, not to send you negative messages. And I think it all started there."
Tottenham were flying under Mourinho in the opening few months of 2020/21 as they challenged towards the top of the Premier League before a bad run of form at the start of 2021 saw them slip down the league standings. The poor results ultimately led to his dismissal, with the 59-year-old axed from his position leading up to the Carabao Cup final.
However, Aurier believes things could have been a lot different if Mourinho was given the chance to manage Spurs in the final and got the better of Man City at Wembley. The pair may have only worked together for 17 months but the right-back has good memories of his time spent with the Roma boss.
"One day we argued, but it was over a tactical issue. I wasn't happy with his decisions and I went to talk to his office. I know I could talk to him without any problems because he likes the player to be honest. The day after, the problem was solved," said Aurier on Mourinho.
“I love it because Mourinho listens to you, and then he tells you what he thinks. Sometimes you hate him and you want to kill him, but then you love him because his character is that of a born winner and I identify with him a lot. I have nothing against him.
"But we were not in a good mood and the club was not happy. Imagine if we had won that final with him. Maybe they would have gone crazy for him to stay and they would have offered him a contract renewal just for short-term thinking after winning a title. And if the club really wanted to sack him, it would have been impossible to do that after winning the Carabao Cup.”
