Pochettino fears for his Three Lions aces
MAURICIO POCHETTINO fears his Tottenham stars will be burnt out by next summer.
The Argentine is worried his shattered England players could be appearing in the Nations League finals only a few days after a potential Champions League final appearance and just over a fortnight after the FA Cup final.
In total, nine of Spurs’ 12 World Cup representatives have suffered injuries this season, with Davinson Sanchez and Kieran Trippier the latest to be sidelined.
Tottenham play Chelsea this evening with Christian Eriksen set to make his first start since September at Wembley.
And Pochettino said: “Yes, of course I am concerned.
“We’re going to finish competing on May 12 and we hope to be in the FA Cup or Champions League final.
“Today the technology, sports science and the medical staff are fantastic, but we’re pushing players to the limit.
“The line between getting injured and staying fit is so thin. We don’t realise that we’re playing with the health of the players.
“They’re human, they are young, they need to enjoy life, too. They need to spend energy with their families, kids, girlfriends – and the guys that are not with girlfriends need to try to find one. We need to be careful.
“I know the business is crazy today and it’s not easy to understand.”
Up to six of Pochettino’s players are expected to play for Gareth Southgate’s England team at next summer’s Nations League finals, which also involve hosts Portugal, Switzerland and Holland.
Of the nine Spurs players who were involved in the final week of the World Cup, six played in the opening game of this season after returning to training just five days before.
While England have benefited from more competitive fixtures, Pochettino fears clubs now have less control over the use of their players than they did for traditional friendlies.
“When they leave when the September [internationals] arrive, and again in October and November, it’s 15 days you lose control of the players,” he said.
“They then arrive back here and they’re excited to train, but they need to relax.
“We put a lot of emphasis on looking after them but, in the end, when the competition arrives, the competition does not wait for you. And who pays? The club.”
Ahead of today’s clash with Chelsea, who are third in the table, one place above Spurs, Pochettino said he believes they are now his team’s biggest London rivals ahead of Arsenal.
Under Pochettino, Spurs ended their
22-year wait to finish above Arsenal, doing so over the last two seasons.
Unai Emery’s men are one place behind Tottenham in fifth, and Pochettino added: “For us, Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham have been our biggest rivals.
“But I think that has changed a bit because of our positions in the table.
“In the last few years, Chelsea were always on the top and Arsenal, after 21 or
22 years, were below us again.”