Mauricio Pochettino has told Monday Night Football, which was broadcast on Sky Sports, that Tottenham Hotspur building their new ground came at exactly the wrong time for him.
Tottenham went unbeaten at White Hart Lane in their final season at their old stadium, before a move to Wembley seemed to disrupt their form slightly.
While Spurs maintained a good home record, during their time at Wembley, they were not the force they were in their final season at White Hart Lane.
And Pochettino admits that the move came at the worst possible time for him, as Tottenham came so close to winning the title in their final season at their old ground.
“For me, for sure, yes,” Pochettino admitted, when asked whether Tottenham’s new ground came at the wrong time.
“I think that the first season when we finished second, this was the season that after we moved to Wembley.
“We had won 17 games and two draws [at White Hart Lane]. The team was doing a fantastic job, but then we moved to Wembley.
“The team kept going and doing well, but that was the point where we missed our own stadium and improving our squad maybe a little bit, and to win a big trophy.”
Unfortunately for Pochettino he never really got to experience the benefits of the new stadium.
Pochettino was only in charge for six months at Tottenham after the ground opened, before being replaced by Jose Mourinho.
With the new ground increasing revenue streams, Tottenham have been able to spend big this summer, and have also attracted some top talent to the club.
Spurs’s form at home this season has been very strong since an opening day defeat to Everton, which suggests that they are beginning to make their new ground into a fortress – just like White Hart Lane.
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