Tottenham Hotspur handed Manchester City their first loss of the season today 2-0. In a match up of first versus second, Spurs narrowed the gap from four points down to one, as we now head into another long, boring international break. While the gap in the table is skinny, the fiscal disparity remains quite large.
In the build-up to the match, Tottenham Manager Mauricio Pochettino points out the very different fiscal situations that the two clubs are in.
“It’s difficult to compare Spurs and Man City,” Pochettino said.
“You can see the budget, the salaries they pay and compare with Tottenham and it’s very clear. They compare with United, Liverpool. We are in a project here and for that, Spurs is different.
“Remember when I arrived, my first season here. Compare that with Guardiola — how much he spent and how much I spent. We are in a very different project. I don’t need to explain that.
“For us, it’s important to build. In two years we build a different philosophy, a different project and build a new stadium.
“It is to settle the principles to be a big, big club. Our ambition is to be one of the biggest clubs in the world. You need time, it is a process.”
Pochettino is obviously referring to the new White Hart Lane renovation and stadium scheme. It’s a very ambitious project that overshadows everything. In the short term, the project means THFC will have to restrict their spending considerably.
In the long term however, Spurs should be more competitive with the big spenders.
For what it’s worth, literally and figuratively, Manchester City spent close to £175 million on new players this summer, while Tottenham spent just over £70 million.
While Mauricio Pochettino articulated how City is the bigger team, off the pitch, financially in pregame, Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola pointed out that Spurs were the better team on the pitch in his postgame comments.
He made some interesting, candid comments. More on that over at this link.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.