Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino Says Winning a Trophy 'Only Builds Your Ego'

Mauricio Pochettino doesn't think winning silverware is necessary to define success for Tottenham Hotspur on his watch. Instead, Pochettino believes a trophy would only serve to boost the ego and that qualifying for the lucrative UEFA Champions League is a more worthy priority:

The Spurs manager spoke after seeing his side eliminated from the FA Cup in the fourth round thanks to a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Exiting the cup early completed a dire week for Pochettino and the Lilywhites:

It's also the second time in a matter of days Pochettino has tried to shift the conversation away from trophies when the subject of Spurs' progress under him has been broached:

Those words came not long after Tottenham lost a Carabao Cup semi-final on penalties to Chelsea on Thursday. Spurs are left with the Champions League, where they face Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund in the last 16, and the Premier League, where they trail leaders Liverpool by nine points, as the remaining chances for a trophy.

What's more likely is Tottenham experiencing a fifth season out of five without silverware on Pochettino's watch. The drought makes mounting questions about Spurs' inability to take the next step both understandable and reasonable to ask.

Spurs last won a trophy when they beat Chelsea for the Carling Cup back in 2008. The triumph came under Juande Ramos, who was fired and replaced by Harry Redknapp early on in the 2008/09 campaign.

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However, it's also fair to say Tottenham's talent level is greater than it was 11 years ago. Pochettino has a young squad littered with gifted internationals, including England duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli, whose absences through injury have largely contributed to recent defeats.

Even so, the presence of players as accomplished as midfielder Christian Eriksen, centre-back Toby Alderweireld and winger Lucas Moura means Spurs should have the strength in depth to cope.

It's no wonder some are asking why Pochettino has been unable to balance winning trophies with keeping his team in the Champions League spotlight:

The debate here is what qualifies as true success. Is it the tangible act of lifting trophies and providing fans with material images and memories they can relate to and are recorded in history?

Or is progress defined differently, say by elevating the status of a club? There's no doubt Pochettino has achieved the latter simply by qualifying for Europe's premier club competition three seasons running.

Becoming a fixture in the Champions League raises the profile of a club and its players. At some point, though, a team talented enough to compete at this level should be expected to turn good performances into trophies.

It's a jump giving Spurs something of a mental block compared to their rivals:

Pochettino's fans would say context is king when assessing the job he's done in north London. After all, Spurs didn't sign a single player in last summer's transfer window.

The club is also still waiting on the building of a costly new stadium, one behind schedule. Delays in the project have left Spurs protecting the pennies while they play home matches at Wembley Stadium.

Yet Tottenham aren't the only club forced to deal with such restrictions in recent years. Ironically, local rivals Arsenal can relate.

The Gunners went through a period of nine barren years after swapping Highbury for the Emirates Stadium. During those years, fans and pundits were both heavily critical of then-manager Arsene Wenger for his seeming willingness to prize a top-four finish and the riches it brought over winning a trophy, even a domestic cup.

Pochettino is following the same logic, but his responsibility to stay competitive within the restraints Spurs are experiencing can't outweigh winning the trophies a squad of this calibre should.

Continually missing out on silverware will only lead to big stars leaving. Eriksen's future has been cast into doubt recently, while Alderweireld's contract situation is another cause for concern.

Spurs and Pochettino have so far avoided widespread criticism for espousing a policy based on putting financial prudence before trophies. The dissenting voices and uncomfortable questions will grow, though, the more this team continues to come up short.