Tottenham Hotspur lost Saturday’s Champions League final to Liverpool.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has told Football.London that he he thinks Spurs are ‘not the smartest’ in the class, ‘but not the stupidest’ either.
Spurs lost Saturday’s Champions League final, falling to a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool as Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi scored in Madrid.
Tottenham’s dream run to the final didn’t have a happy ending, and it’s left many wondering just what is next for Pochettino and co.
Fans will hope that Pochettino commits his future to the club first and foremost, but will then wonder just how Spurs can get back to the Champions League final again one day.
After the game, Pochettino suggested that Tottenham’s priorities have been more about their stadium in recent times, highlighting that Liverpool have been designed in a different way.
Pochettino added that Tottenham aren’t the smartest team around, but not the stupidest either, having focused on their stadium and spent nothing on transfers, but he now hopes that there is more progress and a more ambitious approach to come.
“We’ve been playing against a team that three or four years ago was being designed to reach finals, not necessarily to win them, but to get to them,” said Pochettino. “We are a team that has priorities that is shared with the stadium. We looked at the quality of our players in the final but it would have been incredible to win today and lift the trophy.”
“It would have been something that would have surprised people because in the last five years Tottenham prioritised their stadium and spent zero on transfers. We’re not the smartest in the class but not the stupidest either. But it is incredible and this club deserves a lot of credit. The fanbase deserves a lot of credit. Hopefully it will be the beginning of a very success period for the club,” he added.
It’s hard to unpick just what Pochettino meant, but the best guess is that it was neither clever nor stupid to focus on the new stadium over transfers, especially having reached the Champions League final – but the pressure will now be on Spurs and Daniel Levy to build Pochettino’s side in a similar way to Liverpool’s.
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