Despite being in contention for a first league title since 1961, Mauricio Pochettino claims Tottenham Hotspur are in a very tough period.
A 3-1 win at Norwich City in midweek, coupled with Arsenal’s failure to beat Southampton at home, resulted in Spurs leapfrogging their rivals into third position. And with the top two – Leicester City and Manchester City – playing each other this weekend, the White Hart Lane club could be even closer to the top if they can beat Watford at home on Saturday afternoon.
With the UEFA Europa League and FA Cup also on the agenda in the coming weeks, there is every reason for Spurs fans to feel optimistic. However, with the club currently building a new stadium the purse-strings have been tightened somewhat, and Pochettino has asked the supporters to understand this when they wonder why cash hasn’t been spent to bolster the squad.
“I have read a lot about Arsene Wenger saying the toughest period for Arsenal was in the period that they built their stadium,” he said. “I think people need to know this is a very tough period. We need to be careful because we need to arrive at the new stadium in a very good condition to try to fight for everything, and try to show that we are one of the best clubs and teams in the world.
“Our people need to understand that Tottenham changed their vision, not in terms of the football but in the way that we take decisions. You need to realise that to improve our squad today is a very difficult job. It’s easier to find different names on the market, to pay the money and to bring players, but it’s not the way that we decided upon 18 months ago.
“It’s easier for me to say ‘OK, we bring this and this player’ but if we don’t believe that can improve our squad, why do it? For us, it is very important to find the right player, not only the strikers but in different positions. We have players who can play as a striker. We have to believe in the younger players because for our future, they will be very important players.”
Tottenham made just one new signing in the New Year, and that was academy recruit Shilow Tracey. This could leave them short of attacking options if the brilliant Harry Kane should suffer an injury, but Pochettino has claimed that he has options in the likes of Heung-Min Son, Nacer Chadli and Clinton N’Jie, although the latter is currently sidelined with a knee problem.
