... ANY TROPHY

FOOTBALL managers have a remarkable knack of turning statistics and arguments to their own advantage.

Mauricio Pochettino made it clear this week that the Premier League and Champions League are Tottenham’s priorities above the two domestic cup competitions.

Pochettino (above) even used Wigan’s 2013 FA Cup win as an example to prove his point. “Wigan won the FA Cup. Where is Wigan now? League One. That is the most important example,” argued the Spurs boss.

And that’s fine. Except that Tottenham aren’t Wigan, and Wigan fans still have the argument over whether they would swap winning the FA Cup and the greatest single day in the club’s history for a place in the Premier League.

Pochettino has yet to win a major honour during his time as a manager at Espanyol, Southampton and Spurs.

And that is always the argument against a man who is clearly one of the best managers of his generation. People in the game think he is fantastic in every aspect of his job. But what has he won?

And would a club like Real Madrid, Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain hire a coach who has never won a major trophy in his career? And in dismissing the two domestic cups, the Argentine has also put more pressure on Spurs to win the title or Champions League this season.

Tottenham look a good bet in the title race, but if they come up short again then winning either of the domestic trophies would put a very different and positive slant on their season. A cup will be good if they win it, and it won’t matter if they don’t.

It is also wrong to suggest that all big clubs do not take the Carabao Cup and FA Cup seriously. If you look at the list of winners, then it’s packed with big clubs. Manchester City have won the League Cup twice in the past four years, Chelsea once and also Manchester United.

The FA Cup tells a similar story. Since the Wigan upset, Arsenal have won it three times, Manchester United once and it’s effectively bought Arsene Wenger (above) time on each occasion.

Yes, the clubs have rested and rotated through the rounds.

But it is so wrong to be dismissive of the domestic cup competitions.

If it did not matter then why is Jurgen Klopp facing questions after Liverpool went out at Leicester?