Gabby Agbonlahor has warned Jose Mourinho that he will lose the dressing room if he continues to publicly blame his players.
The Special One is known for openly criticising his players and has continued that habit at Tottenham.
He has fallen out with some of his stars already, including Gareth Bale and Dele Alli.
Agbonlahor says it is better for him to reprimand his players in the team’s private meetings. But doing it publicly will spark a negative reaction from them.
He adds that they may decide to drop their performances until he is sacked and they would then show him exactly what they can do under his replacement.
He says the manager has chosen the wrong time to get on the nerves of his players ahead of the Carabao Cup final and remaining league games of the season.
If the players stop playing for Mourinho, then this campaign is destined to end poorly.
He told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley: “You can already see there’s friction between him and Dele Alli, him and Gareth Bale, him and Serge Aurier, him and Matt Doherty, him and other players.
“For me, you can’t do that in this era. You can’t come out and criticise your players. Players won’t take it.
“What they’ll do is wait for him to be sacked and perform under a new manager. He has to be very careful.
“I’m sure Daniel Levy will have his eye on it as well.
“Jose Mourinho is playing a very dangerous game. You’re going into the last 10 games of the season and the League Cup final. You can’t be upsetting your players.
“Maybe say it in the meeting room after the game but when you’re out with the media, just say you’re disappointed in the result and the team has to hold onto results. You can’t criticise players.
“If he’s not careful, he’s going to end up losing the changing room.”
Searing insight from the man who once had 8 touches of the ball during a league match against us. And two of those were restarts
“Don’t want to upset your players”. REALLY? If I had the option I’d give them a swift kick in the unmentionables. They are professionals and should act accordingly by giving everything when they go on the pitch, not serving up this drivel and demonstrating a “whatever” attitude. You can blame the manager for some things but professional pride is something that you should always care about.
So this is what football has come to. You are earning between sixty and one hundred and fifty thousand pounds per week and you will only deliver a professional performance if and when you feel like it.
Well if that’s the case at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, I’d suggest it’s time to find some new players.