WE’RE IN A WORLD OF OUR OWN
(TO SO DON’T COMPARE ME SIMEONE, URGES POCH
MAURICIO Pochettino thought long and hard but in the end he could not pull a name from the depths of his mind.
No other club in the world, he concluded, was attempting to perform anything with a degree of difficulty quite like Tottenham.
No one in modern football was competing for the most prestigious titles such as the Premier League and the Champions League with such an inferior budget to their rivals.
None of the other examples which sprang up were trying to dislodge the wealthy and established elite with young players from the academy or bought cheaply and nurtured.
Pochettino dismissed the idea Borussia Dortmund might be at all like Spurs since, in Germany, they have always been natural challengers to Bayern Munich.
Comparisons to Atletico Madrid, led by an Argentinian manager as they smashed the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain in 2014, were also firmly rejected.
‘I was thinking about this the other day,’ said Pochettino. ‘Diego Simeone is the best-paid manager in Spain. His salary is bigger than the manager of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla or Valencia. He is the best paid.
‘The investment from Atletico in players is bigger than ours. It is just below but really close to Real Madrid and Barcelona’s budgets.
‘They have spent a lot of money signing players. They keep players like Antoine Griezmann and they signed a striker in Diego Costa, who had won the Premier League with Chelsea.
‘I think Atletico’s budget is maybe bigger than any club in the Premier League. It is maybe five times bigger than the budget we have. It is not similar or comparable. It is more like Real Madrid or Barcelona. Nothing like Tottenham. Completely different.
‘Atletico Madrid are like Manchester City and Liverpool. Nothing to do with Tottenham, there is no comparison.’
This is before he has even started on the unique position of the new stadium.
Pochettino has likened Spurs to a team in a Grand Prix, performing beyond all expectations with an inferior vehicle. ‘In the same race but not the same car,’ he often says.
If he is using it as a motivational tool, then it seems to be working because Spurs moved into second place after scoring 11 goals in two festive fixtures against Everton and Bournemouth.
Key men such as Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen are finding their rhythm. As is Dele Alli, who hurt a hamstring at Everton on Sunday but asked if he could play on St Stephen’s Day. Pochettino refused to take the risk, but Alli could be back against Wolves tomorrow. At halfway, Tottenham are a point above Manchester City, the champions bankrolled by the sovereign wealth of Abu Dhabi. And above the London rivals of Chelsea and Arsenal.
They are the closest challengers to Liverpool, who have this year addressed vulnerable areas of their squad with a £75million centre half, a £67m goalkeeper and a couple of industrious midfielders who cost a combined total exceeding £90m.
Spurs have not spent a penny in the transfer market since signing Lucas Moura for £25m in January and do not anticipate a major outlay when trading reopens next week unless they can move players out and create space in the squad.
MOUSSA SISSOKO has been the break-out star of the season, two years after he was signed for £30m from Newcastle and long after many had written him off as a flop.
‘People try to compare us with Dortmund when it’s completely different,’ said Pochettino. ‘Us with Atletico Madrid? No.
‘I admire Simeone because of what he has achieved. Fighting against Real Madrid and Barcelona is amazing. How they won is a massive achievement. I don’t know if one day we are capable of that. Or to be on the same level.
‘It is not easy to find the right comparison. It’s impossible to compare us with another team in the world. It’s difficult to find another club doing the same, or delivering the same work as us, the same philosophy.
‘The circumstances we are living with a new stadium, with everything, makes us different to another club.’
Atletico moved out of their beloved Vicente Calderon and into a new stadium last year, although without 18 months of homelessness which have made the achievements of Tottenham, their manager and their players even more impressive.
Spurs struggled to get used to Wembley. Now the team plays as if comfortable on this stage but supporters are cooling on the venue amid increased tickets prices and the uncertainty of the delayed opening of their new £850m home at White Hart Lane.
When the moving date finally arrives — and it will be February at the earliest — Pochettino must lead them through yet more upheaval and unfamiliarity without derailing this unlikely assault on the title, a prize they have won just twice and not since 1961. It is why they are braced for a fight to keep their coveted manager who is admired by Manchester United and Real Madrid. ‘We need to be strong and we cannot complain about all that has happened,’ said Pochettino. ‘We cannot ask any more from our fans. They are doing a fantastic job.
‘On Boxing Day, it was not easy to get to Wembley without public transport. It was like a field trip but many of them bought a ticket and tried to increase the atmosphere. In a 90,000 stadium we were limited to 51,000 and we had 45,000.
‘This is why we must move as soon as possible because it is going to be a massive boost to the team. It’s going to be a place where the fans can help. I am so happy with Wembley, it is an honour to play there, but if the new stadium is ready tomorrow we are going to move. To play in your own stadium is the best thing.’
In their last season at White Hart Lane, Tottenham harnessed the emotion to produce an incredible record, dropping only four points from 19 games as they finished as runners-up behind Chelsea.
If they are to challenge for the title this season, they will have to compete against Liverpool and the energy of Anfield, firmly in evidence as Jurgen Klopp’s team beat Newcastle two days ago.
‘The people at Anfield are desperate to win and they show their support for the team,’ said Pochettino. ‘Every game Liverpool play at Anfield is a party and sometimes that makes a difference.
‘It is going to be a massive fight and it is going to be tough until the end.’