Jose Mourinho has plenty of sympathy for Dele Alli and others confined to the fringes at Tottenham but the head coach reflected that the "life of a big club" means difficult decisions are necessary.

Alli has started just two of Tottenham's 11 fixtures this season and, not for the first time in recent weeks, the England midfielder was left out of the matchday squad for the 1-0 win at Burnley on Monday evening.

Mourinho insists Alli plus the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Harry Winks, unused substitutes at Turf Moor, will be given opportunities with the trio set to come into the reckoning for the Europa League trip to Antwerp on Thursday.

"There were pleasing aspects, it's just disappointing not to have got something.

"Obviously, it's a results-based business, so we need to start picking up points but there were plenty of positives to build on going into the weekend."