‘A cow won’t know when the train comes’ – Pochettino

MAURICIO POCHETTINO has defended his decision to leave both Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld at home for Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan tonight, while again rejecting accusations that Harry Kane is the Spurs player who is most in need of a rest.

And Pochettino channelled his inner Eric Cantona by using a bizarre cow analogy to warn his players that they must learn from their mistakes or forget about putting themselves in contention for any silverware.

Despite the fact Tottenham go into their game against Inter at the San Siro on the back of Premier League defeats against Watford and Liverpool, manager Pochettino left defenders Trippier and Alderweireld in London.

Having initially blamed their absence on a “technical decision”, Pochettino eventually conceded he needed to rotate his players as Tottenham try to now combine their Premier League and Champions League campaigns.

“Of course, we need to use the whole squad,” said the Argentinian. “No one is more important than another. The most important is the collective and everyone is available to give their best at the moment the gaffer demands.

“We need to give our best. We have ahead a lot of games. We came from different circumstances after the World Cup. We have a plan for different players to take rest in different competitions, like the Champions League. Now it is Kieran and Toby, but it might be different players. Why would the supporters be concerned?

“We win or we lose. Against Liverpool they play and we lose. The fans might be concerned because we didn’t play (Davinson) Sanchez or (Serge) Aurier. It is wrong to think that way.”

Tottenham reached the final round of 16 last term, before being knocked out by Juventus, having failed to make it past the group stages in the previous season.

Asked whether Tottenham’s Champions League experience over the past two seasons made him any more confident ahead of this European campaign, Pochettino answered: “If you are not clever, this experience does not help.

“Like a cow who sees the train cross in front at the same time, but you ask the cow what time the train comes and he won’t have the right answer.”

Pochettino’s odd cow reference immediately evoked memories of Cantona’s famous 1995 speech about “when the seagulls follow the trawler” and left the Italian media confused.

The manager, though, was far clearer when he was asked whether Spurs could count themselves as realistic contenders to go all the way in the Champions League.

“We are not realistic contenders in any single competition,” he said.

“If we show the same face as Watford to be a contender. If we show the face against Liverpool. Part of the game at Man United, maybe yes.

“It was difficult to keep the feet on the grass after Old Trafford.

“The last two defeats are good if the effect is to wake up and improve. There is time. We are at the beginning of the season. We must be our best and show we want to be a contender at the end.” (© Daily Telegraph, London)