DO ME A FAVOUR

Poch is still sore about rivals favouring Leicester in Spurs’ last title chase back in 2016

MAURICIO POCHETTINO believes Tottenham’s title challenge will be easier this season.

The Argentinian was annoyed that the nation got behind Leicester’s 2015/16 fairytale when even opposing players admitted they wanted Claudio Ranieri’s men to win it rather than Spurs.

They finished third in a twohorse race and were even pipped into second place by local rivals Arsenal and have struggled to mount a sustained challenge since.

But now Pochettino’s Spurs are in second place behind Liverpool and they can apply even more pressure as they face Wolves and Cardiff in the space of four days.

It could see them move within three points of Liverpool before they kick off against Arsenal tonight and potentially even draw level by the time Jurgen Klopp’s men face Manchester City next Thursday.

The title race is shaping up nicely for Tottenham, but Pochettino is clearly still unhappy about the way it ended three seasons ago when Chelsea handed Leicester the title by knocking the final nail into Spurs’ challenge by holding them to a draw at Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino said: “We are not going to receive a favour and nor will another club. But it’s true the season when Leicester were there and only us were fighting to compete on the same level.

“In March, I think, Leicester and Tottenham were the only two contenders for the title. And of course the sympathy for Leicester was bigger than for Tottenham. That was the reality.

“But they won and they deserved to be the champions of the Premier League. But the sympathy of the neutral people was more for Leicester than for us. This is normal.

“When you make public some

emotions or opinions when you are professionals, yes, it did annoy me.

“Because if you are going to play after against this team you cannot say, ‘I prefer Leicester to win the league’. You have to play against Tottenham and Leicester and you are a professional.

“I accept it may be your feeling that you prefer Leicester to Tottenham, but to make it public is different. That is what annoyed me, my players and our fans, for sure. But in the end, it’s normal.

“You have your opinion and think maybe it will be Leicester, with less budget and everything, it would be nice for them to win.

“And it will be a massive history and for the Premier League, it says that all is possible in the Premier League

– it was an amazing history.

“But when you are involved and you give your opinion and after you have to play against Tottenham and Leicester, I think it’s not right.

“When you are professional, some opinions you cannot make public. Because after you create a big problem like what happened at Chelsea, remember?

“That was more like a battle than a football game. Why did that happen? You know very well.

“That’s why it’s compulsory to behave professionally. We translate a lot of emotion to the people. We are public persons.”