The FA Cup is Tottenham Hotspur’s only chance of winning a trophy this season.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino spoke to reporters yesterday, ahead of his side’s FA Cup clash with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium today, and explained why winning cup competitions is a not a true reflection of a team’s real quality, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Spurs were knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus last week, but still have the FA Cup and the race for second place in the Premier League to fight for.
Pochettino has earned many plaudits for the job that he has done at Tottenham, but questions are still being asked as to whether he has the ability to guide his side to major honours.
The FA Cup obviously represents Spurs’ only chance of winning a trophy this season, but the Argentine seemed to suggest that the Premier League is still his priority, when speaking to reporters, as quoted by Sky Sports:
“League Cup, Copa del Rey, FA Cup… they are very short periods and sometimes it is a coincidence, maybe you have some players not in good form, you compete and you are out. It’s completely different. There are competitions that if you win, fantastic. But if you don’t win, nothing changes. When you win a real tournament, when you play under pressure and perform at your best over 10 months, in that moment is when you start to learn about winning. What it means to be winners, what it means to be professional. That is one step when you start to understand in your head.”
Pochettino’s comments on the FA Cup could be taken as demeaning to the greatest domestic cup competition in world football, and many Spurs fans would surely give up their place inside the top four if it meant they would win their first trophy since 2008.
The problem with modern football is that the riches of the Champions League have made qualification for the competition more important for clubs financially than winning any of the domestic trophies.
Tottenham have lacked a winning mentality under Poch, and in order to shake the unwanted monicker of ‘nearly men’, the FA Cup should surely be their priority this season.
Taking the Spurs manager’s comments into account, though, that is not a notion that the Argentine is fully on board with.
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