MAURICIO POCHETTINO WOULD like to finish his career at Tottenham, so long as he can avoid the ill-feeling that stained the end of Arsene Wenger’s lengthy Arsenal tenure.
Pochettino’s future has been a source of regular speculation in a season where Real Madrid and Manchester United have both sacked their men at the helm.
But the 46-year-old Argentinian, who is in his fifth season in charge of the north London club, says he can envisage helming a similar dynasty to Wenger, albeit with a happier ending if possible.
“I have massive, huge respect for Arsene Wenger, because when you talk about 22 years in charge of a club like Arsenal and all that happened in that period, you need to be so good — not only a fantastic coach but a great human being to translate the values you have,” Pochettino told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea.
“It’s amazing. That is why it’s a little bit sad the way he finished in his club. But it shows a little bit how difficult it is, this business.
For us it’s not a business, football is a passion, but all that Arsene Wenger gave for Arsenal, to finish in the way he finished, yes, it was a little bit, completely, unfair.
“I think he deserves, an amazing recognition about his work. Only I hope, if I have one day the opportunity to talk with him, to ask, ‘was it worth it to do?’ I don’t know what he would say, I would like to ask one day.
“I hope, or I wish maybe, to be here 20 years and [then] decide to leave or to finish my career here. But I don’t know because I need to ask him if I have one day the possibility if he is so happy in the way that he finished. What I saw from my point of view, it was so unfair how the people treated him and talked. But we’ll see.”
Pochettino appears set to bring in no new additions for the second transfer window in succession and has called for Spurs to alter their approach to continue to compete with the Premier League’s heavyweight clubs.
They remain handily placed, six points shy of leaders Liverpool after 21 games, and the former Southampton and Espanyol boss insists he is not demanding Daniel Levy tries to blow the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea out of the water in the transfer market.
“No, it’s not my dream to have this type of money,” he said. “Of course, it’s going to help you but it’s not my dream to have this money here.
The only way the people think is about money. That is going to help but at the moment I am happy. Maybe I think in advance. Today, the club is doing what the club needs to do and I am so happy to be here and helping the club, and it’s so clear the project.
“It’s true the people are so impatient. We are doing well, so win, win, win, win. Of course, win titles. But it’s going to arrive. Tottenham are in a project now that is normal and maybe we are in advance in the football side, but I think we are creating and Daniel Levy is creating a legacy that is going to be amazing for the future of the club.
“I can see in the future Tottenham winning trophies. I don’t know if it’s with us or without, in one year or in five years. But all the basis and foundation is one day to start to win titles and be like another club, so successful.”
Subscribe to our new podcast, Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42, here:
He’s talking through his hoop. We were bad and getting worse during Mick’s last stint aswell. The standard of player has dropped drastically over the last ten years.
@Tom O’ Donnell: agreed, a bit of a plank sewing it into Kenny.
Maybe if we had a decent player on the left side of the pitch, we would qualified for more tournaments.
Plus, it wasn’t like McCarthy had gotten us to a play off, the play off was guaranteed before he was appointed.
McClean only coming out with this now tells you everything you need to know about him as player and as a person
@Adrian: While i do agree with you that the only reason McClean is bringing this up is that he has an axe to grind with Kenny and it is indeed bad form. We were also guaranteed that playoff spot, however what he said is he thinks that if we still had McCarthy there we would have had a better chance in qualifying. I think he is absolutely right regardless of his motives. If McCarthy was there we would have probably dug out a result in Slovakia, they were there for the taking, a poor side at the time.
@John Clifford: we lost that on penalties so being ‘hard to beat’ had nothing to do with that night.
We weren’t hard to beat tonight
@Tony Metcalfe: Slovakia were awful that night and we just didn’t take the game too them. Tactically Kenny got it wrong as he did though out his tenure. A manager with more bottle would have taken the game to them. I know him saying “hard to beat” doesn’t make sense, however it just stands that a more experienced manager would have got the job done that night, away from the fact that FAI should have let him see out the qualification campaign. It was bad form on all counts.
@Tony Metcalfe: we weren’t hard to beat tonight but that was down to formation (no three in the midfield), no high press, playing wing backs when we don’t have any decent ones, no intensity etc etc….basically when you have such limited players, you need a manager that is exceptionally good tactically. O’Shea is not that man , he needs to learn his trade elsewhere (lower level) before looking at a gig like this.
@John Clifford: I think you’ve memory holed that game a little. We had better chances than Slovakia, Conor Hourihane absolutely ballsed up a huge chance in front of goal. We did take it to them, but finishing let us down.
It’s hard to see us qualifying for anything for the foreseeable unfortunately.
@Ray Ridge: the Galway of international soccer maybe Ray?!
@Joe Kennedy: Both way off the top sides im afraid.
@Ray Ridge: pessimism correct on the soccer. But definitely lay off the rugby. Small country population wise and it’s our 4th sports. Always there there abouts winning six nations and can put it up to all blacks and springboks off this world. Call a spade a spade
@Gary Galligan: it’s not pessimism, it’s realism. When we win a knock-out game in the big one, then maybe.
@Gary Galligan: . We’re the only one of the nine major test playing nations never to have won a knockout game at the World Cup. There have been ten Rugby World Cup tournaments. Granted we were exceptional in the last World Cup but our record in what is by far the biggest tournament in world rugby is truly abysmal.
@Gary Galligan: How do you make out it’s our fourth sport considering there are more playing Soccer in the country than both GAA codes and Rugby, put it another way Soccer is the most popular sport participation wise in the country.
@Leonard Barry: . He means rugby is our fourth sport in terms of participation.
@Richard Ford: won last 2 six nations
@Ray Ridge: The Jimmy Sloyan of The 42. Insightful
@Gary Galligan: . Yup and delighted to see it but the Rugby World Cup is the really big one.
I don’t think that there will be many people trying to steal James McClean’s intellectual property!!!.
We don’t have the players, never mind manager. Ffs.
Wonder how many other players felt same way playing under Kenny?
@Shane: This stuff always amazes me. Is there no senior group amongst the players to be able to voice concerns like his to the management..
Kennys Reign was a disaster He should have been sacked after Luxemburg Beat us instead of being allowed to bring us down the rankings to sixty four In
The world. Everything has gone wrong. J o shea has been treated very poorly the 4 friendly arranged by the FAI have been too difficult.It’s like they want us to fail.