MX23RW : Saturday, May 4 10:15:40| >> :120:11159:11159:

Mauricio Pochettino: 'Tottenham laugh at critical pundits'

Mauricio Pochettino: 'Tottenham laugh at critical pundits'
© Reuters
The Argentinian respects the job of a manager too much.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says he has no desire to swap the dugout for a TV studio following the criticism levelled at Dele Alli.

The Spurs midfielder, whose form over the last 18 months has crashed, found himself on the end of some stinging reviews from Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville, Graeme Souness and Roy Keane after his disappointing performance in the 2-1 loss at Liverpool.

"Half the player he used to be", "thinks he's a model" and "sat in an armchair" were just some of the opinions levelled at him by the trio, who went to town in their analysis.

Mauricio Pochettino, left, prefers management to punditry
Mauricio Pochettino, left, prefers management to punditry (Tess Derry/PA)

Pochettino has never had a problem with people getting paid to offer their opinion, but insists it is not something he would like to do.

"No, in my mind it is going to be difficult," he said. "In football I respect all the opinions but (I couldn't do it) because I respect too much the job of manager and players.

"And because when you are not in the place you have all the information and then when you give your opinion people in the club are laughing about your opinion.

"And if you go and talk in public in the end it is very dangerous. To be honest I don't like too much. One day I may change my mind and say I go, but today no because the responsibility is massive.

"If you concede a goal you need to criticise the action because someone made a mistake.

"Sometimes the people are not happy because you put a finger on the action and in the moment you are going to criticise when someone missed an action like that. You create a bad feeling."

The pundits were taking fire at Alli because his level has dropped so far from a couple of years ago, when his form made him one of the most exciting prospects in Europe.

He is still only 23 and Pochettino has no doubts that he will rediscover his best form and also the devilment that also made him one of the feistiest players around.

Dele Alli, left, was criticised for his performance at Liverpool
Dele Alli, left, was criticised for his performance at Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA)

"Dele, we talk a lot about Dele," the Argentinian said.

"Always I will support my player, and support my squad. When you don't win, or at the level of this team, always we are observed and exposed to the opinions of different people.

"The most important thing is to pay attention to yourself and work hard. We know very well that Dele is going to be back.

"We spoke with him about improving different areas. But for sure the devil is going to appear again. I don't know when. But for sure it will."

ID:377124: cacheID:377124:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7090:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on October 27, 2019
Read Next:
Premier League week 11 predictions including Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs341861067541360
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8Chelsea34149116559651
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!