Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino met the media today ahead of Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool in Madrid. There were a lot of topics covered in the session (video via YouTube, is below), including the future of Pochettino.
The Argentine has previously put forth the idea that he may walk away from Spurs on top potentially, with a win in the UCL final, should it turn out that way. Pochettino has also made remarks indicating that the backing of THFC Chairman Daniel Levy in the transfer market could determine his future with the club.
Pochettino hasn’t received any backing lately, as the club haven’t bought even a single player in the last few transfer windows. Amidst links to the open position at Juventus, Pochettino said he was not going to discuss his own individual future until after the UCL final.
“Today, no one is more important than the game ahead,” Pochettino told the assembled media members at Monday’s news conference.
“We can make history, we can provide our fans and our people the best happiness in football that you can provide and I think today to talk about individual things would be embarrassing and a shame.”
“I am not important. I am not more important than the Champions League and the possibility to win a trophy.”
“Of course rumor is rumor and of course you are going to ask me about me, but today the focus is 200 percent on the final. After the final we will have time to talk but today my commitment is about Tottenham.”
Pochettino also made the rounds in the Spanish media last week and this past weekend, and during those interviews he looked ahead to the June 1 final against the Reds. The bookmakers have Liverpool as the favorites, and Pochettino agrees.
He thinks the Anfield club should be favored due to all the money that they have invested in the team.
“They signed a goalkeeper [Alisson] and a defender [Virgil van Dijk] for €70m [each],” Pochettino said.
“Liverpool’s plan is to win the Premier League and the Champions League. Our plan was to have the best season in our history. It’s the emotional side that will determine the final. We have met many times before, and I don’t think there will be room for surprises, but it’s the emotional side in which we both express our talent in the end.”
“What Tottenham has proved is that we have arrived at a final with Kane injured. We overcame Man City and then Ajax. The important thing is the group.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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