The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Spurs boss eyes bigger prizes than cupwin
Tottenham will not get to the next level by winning the FA Cup, boss Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated.
Spurs head into this evening’s semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley aiming to go one step closer to winning a first trophy since 2008.
Pochettino has masterminded an improvement at the club, finishing second in last season’s Premier League while being on the verge of qualifying for a third successive Champions League campaign.
While their rise has been impressive, there is a constant clamour to back it up with silverware, something that has so far eluded them under Pochettino.
“I promise you the club is not going to change if you win or don’t win the FA Cup or the League Cup,” he said. “It would be fantastic to add that trophy to the club but what would put us to a different level would be to win the Premier League or Champions League.
“Good Champions League group stage – you beat Dortmund, Real Madrid and you compete very well against Juventus and the dimension of the club around the world changes completely.
“But in the end, we still need to improve and improve.”
United boss Jose Mourinho says his team are not at a disadvantage today playing at Wembley, Spurs’ temporary home this season.
Mourinho pointed to his Inter Milan side’s 2010 Coppa Italia triumph against Roma at their opponents’ Stadio Olimpico home and his Real Madrid team’s 2013 loss at their Bernabeu home to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
Mourinho, who is seeking a fourth FA Cup triumph after three with Chelsea, said: “I don’t think it’s an advantage at all.
“I played one cup final in Roma’s stadium against Roma and I won. I played a cup final in my stadium and I lost.
“So I think when you go to these big moments with these big decisions, semi-finals, finals, think it’s an advantage.”
Chelsea face Southampton tomorrow in the other semi-final.