Pochettino sees a Maradona in Dembele
Spurs coach wary of resurgent Palace under Hodgson with virtually a full squad available
Tottenham make the short journey across London to take on Crystal Palace today with manager Mauricio Pochettino comparing midfielder Mousa Dembele to Diego Maradona.
“I have said before that he is a genius of football,” said the Spurs boss of the Belgium international. “I put him next to Ronaldinho, Maradona, [Jay-Jay] Okocha — players that I was lucky to play with.
“For me, he is one of the unbelievable talents in the history of football. Now he is in an amazing moment and, for me, he deserves all the praises that people are giving him.”
Those comments will certainly have raised a few eyebrows on both sides of the River Thames as Tottenham look to clamber above Chelsea and Liverpool, the teams directly above them in the Premier League.
The Argentinian has a full squad available with defender Toby Alderweireld the only doubt because of a hamstring problem sustained in a training session on Thursday.
The 28-year-old is Dembele’s international teammate and is expected to be a key figure in his nation’s attempts to win the World Cup for the first time this summer.
However, contract negotiations have stalled to the extent that he could well be at another club by then and Pochettino made it clear he would be playing no part in the talks. “I am not involved in negotiations.”
Pochettino developed a relationship with Palace manager Roy Hodgson when the latter was in charge of England, and regularly picked Spurs players.
Tottenham beat Palace 1-0 at Wembley in December when Hodgson was beginning to lift the Eagles out of relegation trouble, having succeeded Frank de Boer in September.
“Roy and his staff are doing a fantastic job,” Pochettino said. “It will be good to see them again. But for me it will be a battle.”