Jose Mourinho blasts Ajax manager after shock Champions League elimination by Tottenham

Jose Mourinho [Courtesy]

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has criticised Ajax manager Erik ten Hag for failing to step up when his young side needed him most during the Eredivisie outfit’s hammering in the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League semifinal second leg on Wednesday.

Ajax were on top during the first half of the encounter, thanks to the stunning strikes from Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech.

However, the tide turned against them in the second half as two quick incursions from Lucas Moura pushed the Dutchmen to the wall before the former PSG man rounded off his hat trick with a 96th-minute winner.

Lucas Moura stunned Ajax with a hat trick [Courtesy]

After the game, former man united tactician ripped into the Ten Hag, starting with praising the Dutchman for the longtime achievement with his young side, then blasting him for his poor performance in the second half on Wednesday.

'I think, it hurts me a little bit to say this, I want to give 99 per cent credit to ten Hag, the beautiful work he did with this team. But I have to be critical in one per cent,' Mourinho told beIN Sports.

'I think in this second half; he has to play more.

'As a coach, there are matches where we don't play, there are matches where we play very bad, but there are matches where we play very well, and Ajax in that second half needed him to play very well.

'And I think he played like his team, not very well.'

"As a coach, there are matches where we don't play, there are matches where we play very bad but there are matches where we play very well and Ajax in the 2nd half needed him to play very well and he played like his team:not very well."

Mourinho on Erik ten Hag????#beINMourinho pic.twitter.com/Ntwj0I1Wk5 — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 8, 2019

 

Ajax looked strong on their way to the semis, brushing aside Ronaldo led Juventus and stunning reigning European Champions Real Madrid before meeting Spurs.

Their performance in the first leg was a bit mature as they held on to a one-goal advantage at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The start to the second leg looked like an easy wrap up for the night but Mauricio Pochettino’s men had other ideas. Two first-half goals made ajax dream of the final but the North Londoners turned things around quickly with three stunning strikes that shook the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Tottenham will now meet Liverpool in an all English affair in Madrid.?