WINNING THE FA CUP WON’T BE ENOUGH TO MAKE US A WINNING CLUB
Poch says this trophy is far from a game-changer for Spurs
IMPORTANT but not that important, he reasoned. Nice for the fans but it won’t tick the bigger box. Pretty on a shelf but Wigan still got relegated, right?
Never let it be said that Mauricio Pochettino’s relationship with the FA Cup is anything less than complex.
In the space of a day at the weekend he orchestrated the brilliant demolition of Swansea in the quarter-final, then spent a reasonable chunk of time explaining, in essence, why winning this trophy would only be a brushstroke in Tottenham’s bigger picture.
As he said: ‘In the cups, you can arrive to the semi-final or final, and in the end maybe, like Swansea, win some cups, or Wigan, who were then relegated. That is not going to help create a winning mentality, to win this type of trophy.
‘I don’t say they are important or not important — that is completely different. For me, when you are consistently winning in the Premier League or the best competition in the world like the Champions League, that helps you to create a winning mentality.
‘Of course, I would love to win the FA Cup and it’s so important for the fans. But people believe if you win one trophy it will give the club a different status or put the club in a different level — and that is not true.’
There is merit in what he says, obviously. It’s the thoughts of a manager going for the top and trying not to get preoccupied with what sits beneath.
The issue, though, is that listening to Pochettino talk about the FA Cup is similar to hearing a man say he can’t see the woods only to then walk face first into a tree branch.
That is because downplaying the value of winning the Cup would be to downplay the precariousness of Tottenham’s position. Manchester United await in the semi-final, and an argument could be made that Spurs need to win the Cup this season, that the project and process and everything between the buzzwords hinges on getting something in the trophy cabinet.
Because there is no doubting, surely, the club are approaching an enormously critical summer. A crossroads kind of summer. Real Madrid like Harry Kane. They also like Pochettino, as it happens. Andres Iniesta is poised to retire and Barcelona quite fancy Christian Eriksen as his heir. The Dane’s two goals here will only strengthen the attraction.
Those situations naturally exist outside of the norm because of the suitors — when Real and Barca are involved, history suggests there is usually a transfer at the end of the dance — but Tottenham have an enormously talented squad besides Kane and Eriksen and big-club admirers are watching it with the advantage of knowing they can offer better wages. Manchester United, for instance, are tracking Danny Rose. The defender spoke out about the club’s ambition and wage structure last summer.
And the future is very much up in the air for Toby Alderweireld, who is in the final year of his deal. He is perhaps the best centre back in the league and is known to want a better wage. What of Hugo Lloris, a brilliant goalkeeper. Dele Alli is 21 and already exceptional. It is to the club’s credit that they have built this squad despite relatively low basic contracts (their average first-team wage is £60,000 a week, compared to £100,000 at Manchester City and United). But there comes a time when you get so good, the only way to fend off interest in your best players is to win silver or cross their palms with it. With a stadium to build, a major departure from their spending plan is highly unlikely. That means the best course of player persuasion is winning something. Anything. Showing that this incredible Pochettino project will pay off in other ways.
The FA Cup may not put the club in a ‘different status’ or give the players a true ‘winning mentality’, but it might stop a few from taking another offer.
SWANSEA CITY (3-4-3): Nordfeldt 7; Van der Hoorn 6 (Roberts 80min), Bartley 3.5, Mawson 6; Naughton 4 (Narsingh 46, 5.5), Ki 5.5, Carroll 5, Olsson 5; Dyer 5 (Routledge 86), Abraham 5, Clucas 5. Subs not used: Mulder, Fernandez, Britton, Byers. Manager: Carlos Carvalhal 5. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-2-3-1): Vorm 7; Trippier 6, Sanchez 6.5, Vertonghen 6.5, Davies 7; Dier 7, Sissoko 7; Lucas 7.5 (Llorente 73, 6), Lamela 7.5 (Alli 81), ERIKSEN 8.5; Son 7. Subs not used: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Foyth, Dembele. Scorers: Eriksen 11, 62, Lamela 45. Booked: Sanchez. Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 7. Referee: Kevin Friend 5. Attendance: 17,498. Magic of the Cup 2/5: Spurs crushed the underdog but looked brilliant in doing it.