Bunch of twits FA risks Kane fury after posting ‘joke tweet’ about him
The fact he said it twice, both times unprompted, suggested Mauricio Pochettino wanted to convey a message after watching Tottenham Hotspur suffer their eighth successive FA Cup semi-final defeat.
He responded to questions regarding Spurs’ failure to get over the line in semi-finals and finals by saying the club needs time “with me or another manager”.
He later admitted he could change his policy in next season’s Cup and play his kids, even though it could result in early elimination.
Tottenham want Pochettino to sign a new £8.5million contract at the end of the season, but it seems the Argentine seeks something other than just a pay rise in return.
Knowing that Chelsea would love him to be their next manager and that he would be near the top of Real Madrid’s list if the Spanish club make a change, Pochettino will want to be sure he is given the tools to keep Spurs going forwards.
Even without a trophy, there has been progress again this season as Tottenham reached the last 16 of the Champions League and should qualify for Europe’s elite competition for a third successive season.
But defeats to Manchester City, in the Premier League, and United on Saturday in the FA Cup, either side of a draw at Brighton, have shown that Pochettino needs more depth and quality in his squad.
Chairman Daniel Levy was at Wembley to see three of Tottenham’s major signings from the last four transfer windows – Lucas Moura, Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko – start as substitutes. Fernando Llorente not even on the bench.
That left 21-year-old Davinson Sanchez as the only signing of recent times deemed good enough to start the semi-final against United. The Colombian was beaten in the air by Romelu Lukaku in the build-up to Ander Herrera’s winner.
United’s January signing, Alexis Sanchez, who has struggled to justify his eye-watering wages, scored his side’s first and had a hand in Herrera’s goal. Marcus Rashford was introduced as a late substitute, while Anthony Martial and Juan Mata could not get off the bench – further highlighting the gulf in resources between the two clubs.
“The most important thing is we competed against a team that spends a lot of money and have unbelievable players,” said Pochettino. “With a different philosophy, we were able to compete with this team.” But Tottenham’s squad is simply not strong enough to compete on all fronts, and the quality of the recruitment has not matched the progress made on the pitch.
Wilfried Zaha is near the top of their shopping list, and Levy will be under pressure to deliver him.
Like Pochettino, Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris will all be offered new deals, but, like their manager, they will want to know Spurs are able to push forward.
Alli had given Tottenham an early lead from an Eriksen cross, but after Eric Dier hit a post in firsthalf stoppage time they never got close to scoring again.
Kane has understandably looked off the pace since being rushed back from his ankle injury, however Llorente has not proven an able deputy, so Spurs cannot afford to bring the England striker back slowly. “It’s not easy after injury,” said Pochettino. “Harry needs time to recover his best. He is OK, but, of course, the performance sometimes cannot be what we expect. He cannot score every single game.”
Kane said: “I feel good. I feel sharp. It’s been a tough week for the team. The City game, frustrating against Brighton and obviously frustrating today.
“Can I do better? Probably, yeah. Can the team do better? Yeah. We’ll all be disappointed today, but all we can do is try to secure the Champions League place. There’s obviously a reason why we’re falling short in the semi-finals or in the big games, so we have to do better. I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what it is, but it’s frustrating. We just have to find our way round it.”
On his fitness, Kane added: “No problems. I feel good, feel sharp. We’ve still got four games to go, and I’m looking forward to those and a big summer ahead.”
Having claimed before the semifinal that winning the FA Cup “would not change the lives” of his players, Pochettino has suggested he might approach the competition differently next season. Asked if it would make his life easier to field a young side in the competition and risk getting knocked out earlier, he replied: “Maybe yes. I’m sure it will be fantastic for experience and everything. Then we stop to arrive in this situation.”