The former Arsenal midfielder has suggested the inexperience of Tottenham Hotspur’s players cost them in Europe.
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has told Sky Sports that player inexperience, and not Mauricio Pochettino’s management, cost Tottenham Hotspur a place in the Champions League quarter finals.
Pochettino has been criticised in some quarters after Tottenham surrendered a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 [4-3 on aggregate] against Juventus on Wednesday night.
Spurs dominated both legs for long periods, but were undone by quickfire Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala goals at Wembley.
Asked if Pochettino was being rightly scrutinised, Merson replied: “Oh, I like the manager.
“They (the players) are all in the same boat, they’re all inexperienced really when it comes to this kind of football.
“And I said that in the game before, I didn’t understand when Kane scored [in Turin] why they never celebrated that goal, they just ran back to the half-way line. I just think that they, I don’t know if they understand… (it’s) the concentration levels.
“You’ve got a team here that were brilliant against Juventus away, we all [said] how great they were. And Man United got absolutely slaughtered [in their 0-0 draw against Sevilla], but if Man United go and win against Seville they’re through, job done.
“It’s two-legged, it’s Champions League football. I just think they showed a lot of inexperience.”
Despite their exit, Tottenham’s performance in the competition has improved significantly since last season, when they were eliminated in the group stage.
Spurs won their group this time out, however, after seeing off competition from Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
With the Londoners’ Premier League title hopes all but over, several critics have suggested that Pochettino is under pressure to win the FA Cup having failed to deliver any form of silverware since moving to White Hart Lane four years ago.
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