Poch, Levy and players dine out – but who picked up the bill?

Mauricio Pochettino is known for his high demands from his players both on the training field and on match day, but the Tottenham boss has revealed another tactic.

On Wednesday, Pochettino took Daniel Levy, club staff and the players out for a meal in London for a bit of a bonding session.

Poch and co tucked into a meal at Beast in Chapel Place and picked up the tab for the 50 or so Tottenham diners.

“Yesterday we had a dinner in a restaurant in London with all the staff and players that I invited. Of course I paid the bill at the end! That is true, the one time that I was invited!” explained Pochettino.

“That is important because you prefer to say ‘tactical here in the morning’ or you prefer to go out at night and put all the staff, the players and the chairman too in a restaurant. That is tactics too. It is so important, just as it is important to work on the pitch. To know each other better, to speak in a different way. That creates links between them, emotion.

“And when you must fight in a competition, there’s willingness to help your team-mates more and care more for them and care more for the gaffer that pays the bill!

“It’s so important and we need time to engage everything, to have different alternatives to play and try to win. In the end, that’s the principle objective.”

The Spurs boss strongly believes in the squad being able to bond with one another off the field, when the busy fixture schedule allows so.

“We always try to find the way to stay together out of the training ground,” explained Pochettino. “It is so difficult because here in England, it’s difficult to find a day or night altogether. It’s such a busy schedule that we have, we play every two or three days and then all are away for international break.

“Wednesday was a very good day to stay altogether outside and laugh and share in a different atmosphere.”

When asked if Levy made him pay, Poch said with a wry smile on his face: “No, no, no!”