Poch: I fear axe
® MAURICIO POCHETTINO fears the sack if Tottenham keep flopping at Wembley.
The Spurs manager’s reputation has soared, with his team mounting another title challenge this season.
A win at West Ham tonight will be their 10th on the spin in the Premier League and will see Spurs move to within a point of leaders Chelsea.
But the Argentine admits he must find a way to end their Wembley hoodoo when the stadium becomes their temporary home next season.
He said: “If I deserved one day to be sacked, it’s not a problem because if the results are no good, then the first to go is the manager.
“When you move stadiums, it is always completely different. We saw at Wembley that we had to make it our home, but it was so different.
“Next season will be very important. We need to be ready for anything. The players and the club need to know that next season will be tough.”
Next season Spurs play all their matches at the national stadium, while
their new 61,000-seater stadium is completed. Neighbours West Ham have performed badly in their first season at the London Stadium and are bidding to avoid an eighth home defeat in the league.
Pochettino admits the move to Wembley will not be a valid excuse for poor results for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
“Daniel is the first person interested when it’s all going well and when it’s not going well,” said Pochettino. “He’s the first person to try to find solutions, because he’s the most important person at the club.
“If we’re not doing well and the results are not good, then maybe Daniel will not be happy and will be tired with my face and say, ‘Go home’. But I understand.”
Pochettino said he plans to talk to rival boss Slaven Bilic to get some tips about how to cope with settling into a new stadium.
He said: “It is an opportunity to listen, to learn. He maybe can advise us on different things.”