‘I really love Tottenham’ – Mauricio Pochettino delivers emotional verdict on relegation fight
Mauricio Pochettino has delivered an emotional verdict on Tottenham Hotspur’s struggles this season, with the former boss opening up on the club’s situation as their fight for survival intensifies.
Tottenham Hotspur’s struggles this season have been clear for all to see, as the club risks losing its Premier League status for the first time in its history.
Roberto De Zerbi certainly has a big task on his hands with just four games left, but many of the Lilywhites faithful will be hoping the Italian can pull off a great escape and keep his side in the English top flight.
But the Italian is not to blame for the mess Tottenham are in, at least not according to former boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Spurs enjoyed one of their most successful periods in modern history under the Argentine, with top-four finishes, a Champions League final and a title push.
The situation has, however, slowly gone downhill since his sacking in 2019, with the club still struggling to find its identity after cycling through a host of managers and tactical philosophies.
Mauricio Pochettino shares sadness over Tottenham struggles as relegation looms
Speaking on The Overlap, Pochettino has now opened up on the current difficulties facing his former club and the emotional impact their decline has had on him personally.
The Argentine, who remains a beloved figure among the support, admitted that it is incredibly difficult to witness the internal suffering of those within the institution and the wider fanbase.
He also reflected on his tenure and the specific vision he attempted to implement while navigating the move to the new stadium and a temporary stay at Wembley.
He said: “It’s really sad, I really love Tottenham, it’s going to be a part of my life, an important part of my life as a coach, a personal life too. It’s really sad because I know how the people are suffering there, inside the club and also the fans.
“It’s difficult to accept, but the moment when we left, what I told to the media and what I told internally was my feeling and my vision. You need to talk during the day that you are there.
“When you left or when you are sad or when you decide to move again, I think it’s not time to talk. If you talk, things for me are not right.
“But I think when I was there, I tried to explain what was my vision. We were in a situation that was amazing because I think the training ground, we finished the training ground, we finished the stadium, we moved to Wembley to play, to Milton Keynes to play many games. At the same time, we were very competitive.
“But this idea of how it can affect the environment and the people outside and the people that make the decision inside… It’s one title, it’s one to win a FA Cup, it’s to win a Carabao Cup.
“It’s a shame. We were winning every season because with all the circumstances that we were fighting, we spent 18 months with no one signing. That was a record in the Premier League.
“We had money to spend but not the type of money to improve, to be close to win or to challenge. We challenged, we challenged to win. But we missed this last step.”
Spurs must find direction after decline
Mauricio Pochettino is right about the expectations around silverware and the pressure it brings, particularly after Tottenham ended their trophy drought by winning the Europa League in Bilbao.
What follows that success is just as important, and Spurs have failed to build on that momentum, with the club now struggling to find any consistency or direction.
Ange Postecoglou also pointed this out when discussing the club’s identity. The former Spurs boss questioned the lack of a clear footballing direction and the constant changes in managerial approach, highlighting the confusion around what Tottenham are trying to build.
He said: “You look at that list of names [of managers at the club] and there is not really a common thread through there as to what they are trying to do. And I do think part of Tottenham’s DNA, for want of a better word, is they do like their team to play a certain way…
“So when you look at those managers, like I said, they have gone from, you know, Mauricio played a certain way and sort of I think fit the DNA, then the big thing was, well, they have not won anything. We need winners. So let us go for Jose [Mourinho]. Jose gets them to a cup final and they sack him the week before the cup.
“So you are going, if you are talking about winners, well, in a one-off game, I would not mind Jose being my manager at my club just for a one-off game. What happens beyond that is… And then, you know, then it was Antonio [Conte] because, again, he is another winner, you know, and then Antonio goes and I sort of come in.
“They say, well, we want the football, you know. With Antonio, we made Champions League, but we did not have the football. So we want the football and you have got the football, even though my DNA is I will win as well.
“So then we go down that path. So that is what I mean. It is a real curious in terms of understanding what are they trying to build? You know, what are they? Obviously, they have built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities. But when you look at the expenditure, particularly, you know, their wages structure, they are not a big club.”
Tottenham must now focus on finding that identity again, as their fight for survival continues into the final weeks of the season.
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