No one can deny that Tottenham are in a far better position as a club since Mauricio Pochettino took over as manager four years ago.
The Argentine has taken the North London club to the next level, as they now represent Champions League regulars, and consistent trophy challengers.
However, the past week has highlighted that word ‘challengers’ in a big way.
Spurs were dumped out the League Cup and FA Cup in the space of four days last week, leaving them in just the two competitions now this season.
Third in the Premier League, against the German League leaders in the Champions League, and without Kane or Alli, it seems this will be another trophy-less season for Spurs.
Tottenham have been without a trophy for more than a decade, and Pochettino has never won one as a manager.
Some fans therefore may not have been too happy with Poch’s recent comments suggesting that winning cups is not the main aim (Guardian).
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In today’s presser, he wanted to clarify exactly what he meant for these mans, in much detail (Football London): “First of all I don’t know if our fans were happy or unhappy because I don’t follow social media, that is good for me, than I think you take in a negative way my comment.
“I think it’s so important to clarify because you’re now asking different people about my comment. I know now that talk about ego is a negative expression in England. In different countries, maybe because it’s different cultures, people talk about ego more superficially.
“I think in the last few years we are talking because you are asking me if to win a domestic cup like the Carabao Cup or FA Cup will help the club to achieve the last level.
“I think that is the principal thing that we need to clarify, our fans need to know, when you ask me if I agree to win a domestic cup will help us to achieve the last level, I cannot agree. I only wanted to translate that we are doing fantastic things in the last few years, we are focused on different things, not only to win. Because football is about every game to win, no one thinks different, no one players, manager or club think differently.
“If today, which club is at bottom, Huddersfield, they talk about to win, Liverpool talk about to win, that is not a point to make a debate. Only I wanted to translated when you ask me to help the club to be in last stage, last level, like United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and maybe Arsenal, I don’t believe it is the right way.
“But if you ask me afterwards if I want to win, of course I want to win. I am not a naive person who does not want to win. Not because I want to be like this or that, I think it’s a point that we cannot debate. To clarify that it’s tough for me because after three or four seasons we are talking always in a similar way about to debate about the cups, the cups, the cups. Of course I want to win and build my CV, winning titles. I am the first that wants to win.
“In the last four or five years we played in four semi-finals, one final, I think we try, we were there, we were close, and in last three seasons, we are consistently playing Champions League, be in the top four. If you say to me ‘how we can help the club to be in the last level?, it’s about improving every season, improving our structure, our way to operate, improving our squad, improving our facilities, and I think if you make the list you can nearly tick all the boxes. We are so close, we need to try to keep working, the fans that are not happy, of course with perspective in the future they are going to appreciate the job everyone is doing at this football club.
“Of course patience is difficult in football, like in life, we see something and we want it straight away. Football is about building, believing and to keep working hard and develop the project and it’s easy to destroy but it’s so difficult to build. A lot of examples no? To build a new stadium, the club is working during 18 years, and to destroy the old White Hart Lane was easy, in one afternoon, yes? That is always the difficult thing to explain, but the most important thing that we need to translate to our fans, always I talk about my club not another manager, I don’t talk about what they’re doing in another club.
“If I talk about my club, that is Tottenham, only is to translate to our fans that we are in a good direction, working hard to deliver things, only we need to have faith and keep working.
“Like I told you in the press conference after the FA Cup, it’s going to arrive the moment to win. In the moment that you are going to be consistent, fighting for big things and improving the way that you’re going to operate, the team improving and everything, of course you are going to be close to win. At the moment we are trying but it is tough to win, we try, we are in many things focused, but I think when we look with perspective the club is doing a fantastic job.”
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