Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that he doesn’t have to win trophies at the club to be a success, despite popular belief elsewhere.
There’s still plenty to play for this season as Spurs will face Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday before focus switches back to the Premier League title race.
It’s understandable as to where Pochettino is coming from in that he’s arguing that compared to the history of winning trophies that their direct rivals boast, Tottenham aren’t expected to win things and so them challenging those clubs is an achievement in itself.
He singled out Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid as a perfect example of someone who deserves more credit than others, as Atleti continue to battle with Real Madrid and Barcelona despite the fact that those two clubs are so well established.
Some pundits and supporters alike will disagree with Pochettino’s assertion that silverware isn’t the be all and end all, but for this season at least, pushing Chelsea all the way, solidifying their place as a top-four Premier League side and possibly winning the FA Cup would be a significant campaign for the north London outfit.
“Success for me is to finish in the top four like last season. It was a big success for Tottenham and means maybe more than winning one title with Barcelona,” he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
“At Spurs, you always like a manager and a player who lifts the trophies. But come on! We will arrive there, we are ambitious. But for me success is not only to lift a trophy. How you arrive in a position to lift trophies is more important. If you are there but are not spending the money and are still challenging, that is what I like the most.
“If we can achieve in the end maybe the Premier League or the FA Cup, or the top four again, I think it’s a massive achievement for the team.”
Tottenham have drawn plenty of plaudits this season for the way in which they play, the way that Pochettino has assembled this talented squad and how they’re out-performing rivals who spent big last summer and in previous years. It surely won’t be long before they have a trophy to show for their efforts.