Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has always made it clear his priorities are the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, so the 2-0 loss suffered by a second-string side in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round trip to Crystal Palace was no surprise.
Spurs still hope to move into their new ￡1 billion (US$1.32 billion) stadium this season, but clearly do not want to be playing there next season without a place among Europe’s elite to entice the fans to fill the 62,00-seater venue.
They are nine points adrift of league leaders Liverpool ahead of tomorrow’s home game with Watford, but perhaps more importantly, have a seven-point gap over fifth-placed Arsenal in the race for the Champions League places.
Photo: AP
They also face a stern test next month against Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund in the round-of-16 of the Champions League and will have to cope without injured England pair Harry Kane and Dele Alli until March.
Much has been made of Tottenham’s failure to win a trophy since the 2008 League Cup, but Pochettino said it would be a mistake to focus solely on the pursuit of silverware.
“People wish we could win some trophies, but being realistic, we are doing so well,” Pochettino said. “To win a title here in England like the FA Cup or Carabao [EFL] Cup is about being lucky, not only about quality in your squad.”
“We are going to create a debate that to win a trophy is going to help the club. I don’t agree with that. That only builds your ego,” added the 46-year-old Argentine, who has yet to win a trophy with Spurs or indeed in his managerial career. “In reality, the most important thing is being consistently in the top four and playing in the Champions League. That is going to help the club to achieve the last step.”
With injuries and fatigue taking their toll, it was an unfamiliar starting XI that took the field at Palace.
Pochettino made seven changes following his side’s EFL Cup semi-final shoot-out defeat at Chelsea on Thursday last week, with both midfield playmaker Christian Eriksen and defensive stalwart Toby Alderweireld given a rest.
Spurs should also be able to call upon Son Heung-min for the clash with Watford at Wembley Stadium as the South Korea forward returns from the Asian Cup.
Palace went ahead through Connor Wickham, before a penalty by Andros Townsend doubled the lead against his old club.
Spurs then spurned a chance to get back into the match when England defender Kieran Trippier missed a penalty before halftime.
Pochettino said this season had been “tough.”
“Now the realistic targets are trying to be in the top four, to try and be close to Manchester City and Liverpool, and reduce the gap. Another is to try to beat Dortmund and be in the next round,” he said. “That will be tough. We are competing against a team who are doing fantastically well in Germany, who are top of the table and have come back off their [winter] holidays. They are all fresh and we are the opposite, but we have to be positive.”
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
Italian Luca de Aliprandini described Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom at Val d’Isere as the hardest race of his life, coming two days after his Swiss partner Michelle Gisin suffered a heavy fall in training which required neck surgery. De Aliprandini finished 26th in the men’s event won by Loic Meillard, but the result paled into insignificance with two-time Olympic ski champion Gisin in hospital with injuries to her wrist, knee and cervical spine (neck). “It was Michelle’s wish that I race here. I couldn’t say no to her, but it was the toughest race of my entire life,” an emotional De
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
RSS