FA CUP MY PRIORITY? JUVE GOT IT WRONG
MAURICIO POCHETTINO has defended his argument that the FA Cup is not a major trophy.
Pochettino claimed Tottenham’s draw at Juventus in the Champions League sent shockwaves around the world but winning the FA Cup would go largely unnoticed.
The Spurs boss (above) has yet to win a trophy in his managerial career and this week TV pundit Roy Keane claimed it was “embarrassing” that the Londoners and Liverpool had gone potless for so long.
But Pochettino, whose side face Rochdale in the FA Cup tomorrow, said: “Of course that result at Juventus changes everything, the perception across the world. The draw with Juventus was massive. It was seen around the world because people watch the Champions League.
“It’s the best competition in the world.
“To win domestic cups would be fantastic for our fans but nothing really changes after that
“Yet after our performance against Juventus, we have a lot of new fans. That is the truth. People have been calling me from Argentina and everywhere and saying ‘Wow, Tottenham, Tottenham, Tottenham’. Our fans were excited. Nearly 3,000 were there and that shows what they think about that competition.
“Our aim is to set a foundation that Spurs fans can enjoy for the rest of their lives. Three and a half years ago the club wasn’t in a position to compete in the best competitions. “That was the reality. Now we have started to change that image.” Pochettino, still on a high after the performance in Turin, said that success in the FA Cup or League Cup does not make a manager any more immune from the bullet. “In the last 10 years there have been many coaches who won trophies like the FA Cup or League Cup and yet six months later they were sacked,” he said. Tottenham’s last trophy was the League Cup in 2008 – they beat Chelsea 2-1 after extra time – but the victorious manager Juande Ramos was axed just eight months later. Now, though, the pressure is on Pochettino to deliver a trophy, especially amid talk that some of his star players could be tempted to leave this summer if silverware remains elusive. Pochettino is likely to give new £25million signing Lucas Moura (far left) his debut at Rochdale, hinting that Harry Kane (below), who scored Tottenham’s opener against Juve, could miss out because of injury. Pochettino has apologised to Rochdale for questioning their pitch – which has now been relaid at a cost of £500,000 – and also said the cup tie could be harder than Tuesday night’s draw at Juventus. “First of all, I want to apologise to the people in Rochdale and the chairman and the people who took my comment the wrong way,” he said. “It will be tough against Rochdale. It will be a tougher game than Juventus or Arsenal because the challenge is to stay motivated for the game. It is a massive challenge for us to stay at the same level.” And as if worrying that his rather dismissive comments about the FA Cup were disrespectful, he added: “When Tottenham play it is about the competition and the FA Cup is an important competition.”