Mourinho: Tottenham's Champions League final defeat like a failed moon landing

Tottenham Hotspurs' players might still be feeling the effects of their Champions League final defeat last season, concedes Jose Mourinho.

Jose Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and Inter in 2010

Jose Mourinho has compared Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League final defeat last season to an unsuccessful moon landing.

Under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs suffered a 2-0 defeat to Premier League rival Liverpool in its first ever Champions League final.

Mourinho, who won the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and Inter in 2010, was appointed as Pochettino's successor last week and accepts the defeat to Jurgen Klopp's side might still be having a lingering impact on his new players.

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Speaking ahead of his first Champions League clash in charge of Spurs against Olympiacos on Tuesday, Mourinho said: "I love this competition as much as everyone in football. It's something that everybody dreams of winning. Not everyone has the privilege of being a Champions League winner which I was happy enough to do.

"If Mauricio says that [losing the final affected the players] then he's been here and he's sharing his feelings. It's like landing on the moon but you don't do it. Look at Liverpool, who had the frustration of not winning and then the next season they reached the final and won it.

"Every Champions League campaign there are details around your success or failure like how many times I lost on penalties or in the last minute. Details make the difference.

"In my case, the season where I lost the semifinal on penalties [to Bayern Munich in the 2011-12 season] with Real Madrid I think that was the strongest Real Madrid team of the past 15-20 years. We won the league but lost on penalties because three of the best penalty takers in the world, Kaka, [Sergio] Ramos and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, missed. We were the best team.

"As for Spurs last season, they had little details for them. VAR was with them and the Lucas [Moura] goal in Amsterdam. To arrive in the final is an achievement but not history."

Tottenham will qualify for the last 16 with victory over its Greek opponent at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Mourinho says he will not start thinking about the possibility of getting his hands on the trophy until later in the competition.

"With these boys I will never be afraid of any Champions League match," he added. "We need to qualify. It's only when my teams arrive in the quarter-finals that I start thinking that we have a chance. In this moment we are far from it."