Lloris still Mourinho´s Spurs number one as Hart prepares for Europa League action

Jose Mourinho has offered his backing to Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris, who he believes ranks among the finest goalkeepers in the world.

Lloris shipped eight goals last week, with his performance in a 3-0 defeat to Premier League leaders Manchester City coming under scrutiny after Spurs came out on the wrong side of a 5-4 FA Cup thriller at Everton.

Joe Hart is expected to return for Thursday’s Europa League round-of-32 meeting with Wolfsberger, although Mourinho does not feel Lloris’ status as first choice is under immediate threat from the ex-England number one.

“When a player is a top player, one or two or three mistakes does not make him not a top player. That is the most important thing,” Mourinho told a pre-match news conference before highlighting some of Alisson’s recent struggles at Liverpool.

“I shouldn’t speak about it because he’s not my goalkeeper, but I don’t think he will take it on the wrong side: for me Alisson is one of the top five best goalkeepers in the world and in the previous matches he made big mistakes.

“But he is one of the top five in the world, in my opinion, and Hugo is the same. He is an amazing goalkeeper who is performing super consistently since he recovered from that fracture.

“During all my time here he is playing so, so well. If he had responsibility on one or another of the goals we conceded recently he is still the same goalkeeper, he is my number one choice and has all my trust and confidence.

“In Joe Hart’s case I am happy he played already nine matches this season. He’s a goalkeeper that I totally trust too.”

Among goalkeepers to have played five or more games in the Premier League this season, Lloris ranks fifth in terms of save percentage (74) behind Nick Pope, Emiliano Martinez, Robert Sanchez and Ederson.

He has only made one error leading to a goal and is outperforming his expected goals on target (xGOT) conceded of 19.7, as per Opta, having let in 17 goals excluding penalties and own goals.

Lloris’ cumulative goals prevented figure of 2.7 comes thanks to 71 saves from 88 shots on target faced in the top flight.

Dwindling form either side of Christmas left Spurs languishing ninth in the Premier League.

Yet they are still only six points shy of fourth-placed Chelsea with a game in hand and Mourinho rejected the suggestion that the Europa League represents his team’s best hope of securing Champions League qualification.

 “It’s difficult in any case but it’s possible in both cases,” he said. “Fourth position in the Premier League is, of course, very difficult but is not mathematically impossible.

“Last season we were in a very, very bad position to get in the Europa League spots. In the end we made it in the last minute of the last game, but we made it.

“Our motivation last season was that, while it was mathematically possible, we had to go. We chased it until the last game which is the same thing we are going to do.”

He added: “In the Europa League there are an incredible number of matches. We are only in the last 32. It is a strong competition with very good teams.

“But it is open. We are one of the 32 teams who have a chance to win and we are going to try.”

Thursday’s match has been moved to the Puskas Arena in Budapest due to COVID-19 restrictions in Austria.