Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino tells Arsene Wenger to focus on his own team
Mauricio Pochettino has told Arsene Wenger to keep quiet about other clubs and stressed that success in football is about much more than just trophies.
Arsenal secured their 10th Wembley appearance in less than four years and the chance also to win a fourth trophy since 2014 after beating Chelsea on Wednesday night to reach the League Cup final. Wenger had been asked before the game whether winning the semi-final would change the mood around Arsenal and, in predicting that it would make no difference, he pointedly accused critics of “celebrating some teams who have not been in a final for 25 years”.
No specific clubs were mentioned but, with Tottenham and Liverpool winning so much recent praise for the respective work of Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp – who has also not won a trophy in England – there was a suspicion that they were on his mind. Wenger has since stressed that he was talking only generically but Pochettino responded.
“He [Wenger] is a special manager but everyone sometimes makes a mistake and, for me, he made a mistake to talk about us or a different team,” said Pochettino. “For me he is and will always be one of the best managers in the world, I respect him, but I think he needs to talk for himself and for Arsenal. There’s no point to talk about another team.”
Pochettino then pointed out that he had spent only five years in English football, firstly at Southampton and then Tottenham since 2014. “I'm so young,” he said. "Praise? Of course we receive praise. Football is not only to win trophies, it's the circumstances of different clubs.”
Tottenham’s most recent trophy was actually 10 years ago in the 2008 League Cup but they have qualified for the Champions League over the last two seasons and also developed an exciting crop of young players. The League Cup is the only trophy Spurs have won since Wenger became Arsenal manager in 1996 and led the club to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup wins. Spurs reached the FA Cup semi-final last year and, although they are still in the Champions League, it is again their best realistic hope of silverware. They travel to League Two promotion hopefuls Newport tomorrow in the fourth round.
"We have to be ready to fight and put ourselves in the same level as them," Pochettino said.
"The same motivation, no complaints, no excuse-finding, we try to believe that we are going to play against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Juventus in the Champions League."
Newport share their pitch at Rodney Parade with two rugby teams, Newport and Dragons, meaning the surface may be challenging for players coming back from injury.
Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose have returned to training after recovering from hamstring and knee problems respectively while Christian Eriksen and Hugo Lloris will be assessed following illness.
Serge Aurier, Harry Winks and Erik Lamela are also doubts and the 17-year-old midfielder Tashan Oakley-Boothe could make the Tottenham squad.
