Trophies only “builds your ego” says Pochettino as Tottenham depart FA Cup

Mauricio Pochettino reiterated his belief that his Tottenham Hotspur team should not be judged upon the amount of trophies they win.

When speaking to the media after their 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, their second Cup defeat in four days, Pochettino was clear the achievements he feels are more important to Spurs.

“But then again we are going to create a debate that to win a trophy is going to help the club to be in the last level. I don’t agree with that. Only that builds your ego because when you win a trophy you can say you have. In reality, at Tottenham the most important thing is always being consistently in the top four and playing Champions League.”

“That is the realistic thing for Tottenham. That is going to help the club to achieve the last step. In the moment that Tottenham will be the real contenders and in the last level, yes that is the moment to try to win some trophies, to improve your titles and of course your ego.”

These comments have the potential to rile Tottenham fans and also FA Cup fans alike. For the latter, the unwillingness of Pochettino to admit what the competition or winning the trophy would mean perhaps shows a disrespect to the historic cup.

His previous comments about the competition, which Spurs have exited at the semi-final stage in the previous two campaigns before their defeat at Selhurst Park, leaves fans questioning the ambitions of Pochettino and even if Tottenham’s peak has now been reached.

The Argentine has matched Spurs’ supposed ambition of top four finishes and Champions League football for three straight years now so you would have to expect some sort of further ambition to take Tottenham to the ‘last level’.

When speaking in this manner, it often feels as though the 46-year-old is communicating as a puppet for chairman Daniel Levy, repeating the same answers about the difficulties Tottenham face.

You begin to wonder whether Pochettino is actually frustrated by the lack of transfer funds at his disposal behind closed doors, beyond the cool exterior always presented to the media at a press conference.

He certainly has a right to be.

According to Sky Sports, Spurs have spent £254 million on players incomes and received £225 million in departures since Pochettino arrived from Southampton in 2014.

This net spend of a mere £29 million firstly credits the job Pochettino has done but questions whether his side can go any further.

This Tottenham team is undoubtedly the best ever Spurs side in the Premier League era, but without investment in players that we’ve seen from most Premier League teams, Tottenham fear losing their manager, star players and success in the near future.