The Spurs manager has been criticised in recent weeks following the loss of form and reported dressing room unrest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur legend Chris Hughton has spoken out in support of under-fire Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, describing the criticism aimed at him as “very harsh” and calling him a “wonderful” manager, in conversation with talkSPORT.
The North Londoners are now well off the pace in the Premier League, out of the League Cup at the hands of lower-league Colchester United, suffered two thrashings in a row against Bayern Munich and Brighton before the break, and that’s before moving on to the off-the-field rumours of dressing room unrest.
As a result, some have pointed the finger at Pochettino given these issues have happened under his watch – in stark contrast to just a few months ago, when he had guided Tottenham to the Champions League final and secured yet another Premier League top-four place.
Hughton, a veteran manager with the likes of Newcastle, Birmingham, Norwich and Brighton, as well as a caretaker stint at Spurs, has hit out at the criticism that Pochettino has been receiving, claiming Tottenham’s current run is “something that is normal for every team”.
“[The criticism] is very harsh,” he told talkSPORT. “We’re talking about a manager who has achieved something that the large majority will never do, which is getting to a Champions League final.
“They have a wonderful manager. You can’t go from being the manager who gets you to the Champions League final a few months ago to suddenly being a manager who can’t get the best out of the team. They are capable of going on a good run, but it is a difficult period they’re going through. This is where Mauricio will use the best man-management skills and the best tactical knowledge that he has. He has that type of ability to turn things around.”
Up next for Spurs is Saturday’s Premier League clash with Watford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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