Mauricio Pochettino prioritising Premier League and Champions League over domestic cups
ByPA Sport
Updated 18/09/2017 at 20:46 GMT
Mauricio Pochettino claims it would be a mistake for Tottenham to win a domestic cup this season at the expense of their form in the Champions League and Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur look on prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City at Wembley Stadium on September 16, 2017 in London, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Pochettino's side are yet to lift a trophy during his three-year spell in charge and the club has only won two pieces of major silverware in the last 20 years.
Each of those came in the League Cup, in 1999 and most recently 2008, with Spurs beginning a fresh tilt at the tournament on Tuesday, when they host Championship strugglers Barnsley in the third round.
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Dele Alli and Harry Kane show their disappointment
Image credit: Getty Images
Manchester United are the holders, and Jose Mourinho has even said he targeted the League Cup last season to inject a winning feeling into his squad. Pochettino's priorities, however, lie elsewhere, he told reporters:
The project here at Tottenham is to try to win the Premier League or the Champions League. For me, that is the two big trophies. Okay, I would love to win the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup for our fans. But Tottenham must build a project with the possibility to fight for the Champions League or Premier League.
Sorry, first of all it is the Premier League and then the Champions League. If we are going to try to win the Carabao Cup or FA Cup, and forget the Premier League or Champions League, it's a big mistake.
I think, what it means for a big team to win trophies, is to win the Premier League or Champions League. There are a lot of examples: in my second season at Southampton, Wigan won the FA Cup. Where is Wigan today, with all my respect? League One. Look, that is the most important example - of course, I would like to win trophies but first of all we'll fight for the Premier League or the Champions League.
It means Pochettino will rotate a number of key players at Wembley, with a London derby at West Ham to come on Saturday before a trip to APOEL in the Champions League next week.
Fernando Llorente is expected to be given his first Spurs start ahead of Harry Kane while another summer signing, the 19-year-old Argentinian defender Juan Foyth, could be handed his debut.
Harry Winks, Kyle Walker-Peters, and Tashan Oakley-Boothe are among the academy graduates likely to be involved but there will be no place in the squad for the talented Marcus Edwards, whom Pochettino likened to a young Lionel Messi last year.
The 18-year-old has only recently recovered from an ankle injury but scored twice, including a superb solo effort, against Borussia Dortmund last week in the UEFA Youth League.
"I think we need to wait a little bit for him to build more his physical condition and his confidence," Pochettino said.
"He's better playing in the under-23s or the Youth Cup than staying with us and maybe being on the bench."
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