Cup pressure on Pochettino
Spurs coach chases trophy
London – Mauricio Pochettino faces a defining moment in his Tottenham reign as the in-demand Argentine tries to keep his bid for a first major prize alive against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Pochettino has taken to defending his failure to win silverware in almost five years at Tottenham by insisting he values qualification for Europe’s elite club competition more highly than success in the domestic cups.
But for all of Pochettino’s protestations that reaching the Champions League is his primary goal, that claim rings a little hollow when they never make it to the business end of the tournament. Tottenham have never been past the last 16 of either the Champions League or the Europa League since Pochettino arrived from Southampton in May 2014. Now Bundesliga leaders Dortmund, who visit Wembley for the Champions League last-16 first-leg today, stand between Pochettino and his first European quarterfinal in what could his last season with the north London club. Pochettino, yet to win a trophy in his managerial career, has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United at the end of the season.
If that mooted deal may now be less of a sure thing given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s remarkable impact as interim boss at Old Trafford, there is little doubt Pochettino will still be a man in demand, with Real Madrid also believed to be interested in his services. “We feel so proud and with all the circumstances the team is doing fantastically, the performance of the squad is unbelievable,” he said. “We are showing great character and very good quality, fighting against big sides and being in a position that’s very close to the top.” Tottenham have won only three cups in the past 28 years.
Failure to land a big prize with stars Pochettino has cultivated would be considered a missed opportunity. -