Mauricio Pochettino claims he’s having worst season of his Tottenham career ahead of Manchester City clash
Spurs have enjoyed their best start ever in the Premier League but the Argentine has said he's at the lowest point of his his five-year tenure
MAURICIO POCHETTINO says he feels the WORST he has ever felt as Tottenham boss — despite Spurs making their BEST ever Prem start.
The Lilywhites host Manchester City tonight having taken 21 points from their opening nine Premier League games.
Yet Poch revealed: “The season so far… it’s strange because my feeling is the worst feeling I’ve had in the five years that I’ve been here.
“It’s the worst, my feeling. But it’s the best start ever for the club in the Premier League. It’s strange, no?”
Spurs failed to sign a single player in the summer transfer window and the ongoing stadium delay means the club will now not move in until 2019.
Pochettino added: “It’s so difficult to explain because many things happen.
“I am disappointed we are still waiting for the new stadium when the expectation was to be there at the beginning of the season.
“I don’t know, many things happened in the summer, many things that make myself not in my best mood or best humour.
“I know I always have a good relationship with the media but my feeling is not the best feeling — I had better feelings in previous seasons.”
The transfer-market flop may not have had an impact domestically.
But it has arguably played a part in Spurs’ Champions League campaign.
That now hangs by a thread after Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at PSV Eindhoven.
Poch has built one of the most exciting sides in English football but they are yet to win a trophy and are not kids any more.
Naivety of youth may well explain losing the 2-0 lead at Chelsea in May 2016 to hand Leicester the Premier League title. That excuse carries less weight this season but still Spurs blew winning positions late on in Champions League clashes at Inter and PSV.
Today Tottenham have the chance to show they have grown up when they host reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
Poch said: “As a team, we still didn’t win anything. We fail but we achieve.
“You ask at press conferences why always when we arrive at a big game we fail.
“It’s about learning to compete. It’s about learning to be better. It’s about changing something we need to do different.
“Or maybe we are never going to learn because we have some quality but we cannot cross this level. I prefer to think that we will learn more and we need more time to improve as a team.
“Still we need to improve, still we need to improve and achieve another level. Still we are not showing that level to be a real contender. That is my opinion.”
The frustrating thing for Poch and Spurs fans is the team is not far off.
They have one of the best strikers in the world in Harry Kane, creativity in abundance with Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, a solid backline and a World Cup-winning keeper in Hugo Lloris — despite his recent gaffes.
Yet the cost of the £850million new stadium has prevented Pochettino from splashing the cash like his rivals to help Tottenham make that final step.
And Poch, 46, insists Spurs may only know if they can truly compete with the likes of City and Liverpool when they are working with “the same conditions”.
The Argentine said: “The way we have been competing in the last few years, the frustration is massive because we have had less in every aspect.
“I hope in future we will be available as a club to be in the same condition as others and to see how our real skills, to show our real skills.
“You only really know if you are good enough or not when you fight with the same conditions as other teams.
“If not, it’s difficult to see if you’re good enough.
“I think the club is not focused completely on winning titles or games.
“Because today we need to fix other problems and different circumstances that happen that don’t help.
“Sometimes people expect we should be winning or we must win titles when the circumstances are not ideal.”
