Mauricio Pochettino Says 'Of Course I Want to Win' Trophies with Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino says he wants to win trophies and titles with Tottenham Hotspur, but he also called changing expectations at the north London club "a completely different challenge" to managing Real Madrid.
The Spurs manager also addressed his future in north London, promising to stay at Tottenham until his and the club's goals are reached.
Pochettino offered a defence of recent comments he made prioritising finishing in the top four over winning a trophy. The 46-year-old said winning silverware "only builds your ego," following Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fourth round.
Yet Pochettino appeared to backtrack on Tuesday when he said, "Of course I want to win. I want to create and build my CV, winning titles," per Sky Sports.
Making the step from near-misses to actually lifting a trophy or two has proved problematic for Pochettino. He also saw his side beaten on penalties by London rivals Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final last week.
It means Spurs and their manager face a fifth season in a row without claiming a prize. Yet Pochettino believes the Lilywhites are due some credit for how close they've come in recent seasons: "We've played four cup semi-finals, one final—we tried, we were there, we were close. In the last three seasons, we are consistently playing Champions League, being in the top four."
Being close but consistently missing out has naturally led to frustrations among Spurs supporters. However, Pochettino has called on fans to take some perspective and appreciate how he's trying to elevate the club.
Pochettino offered an eloquent defence of the long-term nature of his vision: "Patience is difficult in football, like in life. We see something and we want it straight away. Football is about building, believing and working hard to develop the project. It's easy to destroy but so difficult to build."
It's an admirable stance to take, particularly as Spurs are restricted by the ongoing building of a new stadium. The delayed project has left Tottenham with little financial muscle to flex in the transfer market.
Spurs didn't sign a single outfield player last summer, and the finishing of the replacement for White Hart Lane is likely to further hamper Pochettino's efforts to recruit.
It's why he's calling for context to be taken into consideration when assessing his tenure at Tottenham.
It's a far cry from life with Real, with whom Pochettino has been linked. He noted how Spurs have different considerations to Los Merengues: "If you are in Real Madrid, you are only thinking about winning trophies. In Tottenham, when we arrived here it was a completely different challenge and to build that philosophy is tough."
Pochettino is treading a fine line between pleading for patience and still promising to deliver a bright future. He noted how the new stadium is vital to that kind of future, while he also admitted, "In the moment you get all this ready, that can no longer be an excuse."
There are risks to Pochettino attempting to traverse this line. Detailing such a painstaking process to make Spurs both a fixture and a winning entity at a higher level inherently demands Pochettino sticks around long enough to see the project through.
Fortunately, the Argentinian sounds as though he's in it for the long haul, per Alasdair Gold of Football.London: "I am going to stick with the club until the end to help the club achieve all they want."
Those words will please many Tottenham fans who have also seen their manager consistently linked with the Manchester United job.
If Pochettino does see it through at Tottenham, he will be due tremendous credit for working under tough circumstances even at the expense of his reputation. The next step is to marry staying within financial limitations with delivering silverware on the pitch.
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