José Mourinho has said he "couldn't believe" Tottenham sacked him just six days before the 2021 Carabao Cup final, suggesting his plan to rest Son Heung-Min before the Wembley showpiece may have contributed to his dismissal.
Speaking on the Beast Mode On podcast, Mourinho recalled his disbelief at being denied the chance to lead Spurs against Manchester City in what was the club's first opportunity to win a trophy since 2008.
"I couldn't believe it," Mourinho said. "I know that the final was at an almost empty Wembley ... Man City will have a couple of thousand fans, split by the whole north or south side of Wembley, Tottenham just a couple of thousand. So it was an empty Wembley, not that big feeling of Wembley. But it was a final.
"It was a final in a moment where Tottenham had no trophies. At this moment, yes, they won the Europa League, but at that time, nothing. It was Harry Kane, zero titles, Son, zero titles, Hugo Lloris, with Tottenham, zero titles."
Mourinho, who was appointed in November 2019, was dismissed in April 2021 and replaced by Ryan Mason, with City going on to win the final 1-0.
The Portuguese coach, who returned to Real Madrid this summer, said he believed Tottenham's owners prioritised Champions League qualification over the chance to end the club's trophy drought.
Tottenham were seventh in the Premier League at the time, five points adrift of the top four
"I was up to it [managing Spurs in the final]. I remember we played in that week, we should play Southampton before the final, and my focus was totally on the final. So it was a shock.
"I believe that one of the reasons was exactly that my focus was on the final and not Southampton. Because for the club, not the fans, the owners, it was more important to try to qualify for the Champions League, for financial reasons, so Southampton was a very important match.
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"For me, the important match was the final. It was a medal, a cup, joy for the fans, and Harry Kane was injured. He was a doubt for the final. And in case Harry doesn't recover for the final, the striker had to be Son. Imagine the final without Son and Kane!
"So when the boss asked me: 'What do you think about the Southampton match?' I told him: 'I want to win, we are going to try to win, but without Harry I will leave Son on the bench.' I think it was a kind of contradiction because for them the final didn't matter much, for me and the players it meant everything."