Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is not one for losing his temper; typically. He certainly doesn’t scream at officials, so the sight of him fuming at official Mike Dean today, after Tottenham surprisingly lost at Burnley FC 2-1 today, is news worthy to say the least.
Mike Dean, Poch, Burnley and #COYS are all top ten trending terms, nationally, on Twitter right now and this altercation (video in the tweet below) is the major reason why:
? Wow! ?
Fair to say Mauricio Pochettino is not happy with referee Mike Dean after his side’s loss at Turf Moor! ?
Reaction in our live blog: https://t.co/8ntnbWB8dh pic.twitter.com/boXTN2od8f
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 23, 2019
The Tottenham manager was obviously angry, and that anger was probably due to several decisions, including Burnley’s first goal which came from a corner, but likely should have been a goal kick instead. Spurs did recover from that, as Harry Kane later equalized, scoring in his first game back from an injury layoff that lasted well over a month.
However, Burnley would go on to win, aided by a nasty challenge from Phil Bardsley which could have easily seen the Clarets reduced to 10 men. The non-call provided another reason for Pochettino to rage at Dean, and it was reported that the altercation continued into the Turf Moor tunnel area.
After the game, Poch cooled down enough that when he did his post match interview for television he was able to try and play down his furious confrontation.
“It was nothing,” Pochettino said to Sky Sports.
“What happened on the pitch happened on the pitch. We made a few mistakes and conceded two goals. There is nothing to say.”
“Congratulations to Burnley. We don’t deserve the defeat but that’s football. I think it’s important to understand that it was a game that is important for us. I believe before the game that if you want to be a contender you need three points.”
Pochettino later acknowledged that his behavior on the pitch was out of character for him, and that his side had blown an opportunity to gain ground in the league title race.
“The emotions, sometimes we find answers and excuses to try to justify the defeat. It’s not normal how I behave,” Pochettino continued. “Maybe it’s because I knew before the game and after the game that it is going to be difficult to be a contender without three points.”
After the TV interview, Pochettino did his post match press conference, where he expounded on the incident a bit more.
Poch on his ref rage: "It’s weird, maybe the cables crossed in my brain. It’s the first time in 10 years. I was always under control but what happened happened on the pitch. I need to find the reason now that we lost the game., not to find some excuse." https://t.co/lxuO20FpxJ
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) February 23, 2019
Spurs will heavily favored in this match at a lower table side, and given their stellar away form this season, the result was shocking to say the least. Tottenham missed a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit on Manchester City to two points.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.