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Some understand 'Context', some don't and some simply refuse to recognise it as a legitimate envelope and base-line for progress....
Every single word of Mauricio Pochettino's remarkable speech to Tottenham fans and critics
The Spurs boss spoke at length about the progress his side has made in the last year
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino gave one of the longest answers he ever has in a press conference and appeared to be sending a message to his critics.
The Argentine and his players have come under fire in recent weeks from certain sections of the supporters and the media after losing their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United and letting their lead over Chelsea in the Premier League shrink from 10 points to just two going into the final two matches of the season against Newcastle United and Leicester City.
On Tuesday Pochettino was asked whether he felt the team had progressed this season. The team finished second last year in the Premier League and if they win their remaining two games they will end up third this time around.
Here is the Spurs manager's lengthy answer in full.
"For me, amazing progression. First of all because you need to compare every season in context, not out of context," he explained.
"Last season at White Hart Lane we played 19 games in the Premier League and we won 17 and drew twice. The team was complete, unbelievable with the fans, without the corner, remember, at White Hart Lane. We were playing fantastic, we were very confident about winning. After, you move to Wembley.
Mauricio Pochettino
"You finish second in the league, you move to Wembley and of course there’s a lot of fears because the Champions League wasn’t great the previous season. If you analyse all in context I think it’s an amazing season - to have the possibility with two games left to finish third, I think it’s massively successful. But I understand people want more. We want more. We’re ambitious.
"That project started maybe not four years ago but sure two and a half year ago, trying to provide Tottenham with the best things to try to compete and fight for big things. Like in football, sometimes you need patience to play, to build from the back, to find your best position on the pitch, to grow down the opponent. In that situation, in this project, it’s the same.
"We need patience, we need to work hard. Sometimes we’re disappointed. Sometimes you need to start again. Sometimes you need to be focused on maybe doing some different movements.
"For me it’s like a marathon, to create a team capable of winning, to build a winning mentality is like a marathon. It’s not an explosive 100m, standing and stopping in nine seconds. It’s 42km and it’s a long-term development and trying to… sometimes with ups and downs but always going up, and I think that is the progression of the club and the team. I am sure disappointed of course if we don’t achieve in the next few years a title – of course – but what we cannot do is to forget from where we came.
"I think today to be competitive, to arrive in this moment with the possibility to be third, I think if you look at the past and the history of the club, I think this group of players deserves a lot of credit, and the club of course for making all that situation happen. Of course it’s never enough in football and I always told the players, after working hard for two hours in a training session ‘yes well done but it’s not enough, it’s not enough'. You can see that it’s not enough to have the possibility to fight for the Champions League. The people want to win, but we are the first that want to win, only we need patience to win."
Every single word of Mauricio Pochettino's remarkable speech to Tottenham fans and critics
The Spurs boss spoke at length about the progress his side has made in the last year
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino gave one of the longest answers he ever has in a press conference and appeared to be sending a message to his critics.
The Argentine and his players have come under fire in recent weeks from certain sections of the supporters and the media after losing their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United and letting their lead over Chelsea in the Premier League shrink from 10 points to just two going into the final two matches of the season against Newcastle United and Leicester City.
On Tuesday Pochettino was asked whether he felt the team had progressed this season. The team finished second last year in the Premier League and if they win their remaining two games they will end up third this time around.
Here is the Spurs manager's lengthy answer in full.
"For me, amazing progression. First of all because you need to compare every season in context, not out of context," he explained.
"Last season at White Hart Lane we played 19 games in the Premier League and we won 17 and drew twice. The team was complete, unbelievable with the fans, without the corner, remember, at White Hart Lane. We were playing fantastic, we were very confident about winning. After, you move to Wembley.
Mauricio Pochettino
"You finish second in the league, you move to Wembley and of course there’s a lot of fears because the Champions League wasn’t great the previous season. If you analyse all in context I think it’s an amazing season - to have the possibility with two games left to finish third, I think it’s massively successful. But I understand people want more. We want more. We’re ambitious.
"That project started maybe not four years ago but sure two and a half year ago, trying to provide Tottenham with the best things to try to compete and fight for big things. Like in football, sometimes you need patience to play, to build from the back, to find your best position on the pitch, to grow down the opponent. In that situation, in this project, it’s the same.
"We need patience, we need to work hard. Sometimes we’re disappointed. Sometimes you need to start again. Sometimes you need to be focused on maybe doing some different movements.
"For me it’s like a marathon, to create a team capable of winning, to build a winning mentality is like a marathon. It’s not an explosive 100m, standing and stopping in nine seconds. It’s 42km and it’s a long-term development and trying to… sometimes with ups and downs but always going up, and I think that is the progression of the club and the team. I am sure disappointed of course if we don’t achieve in the next few years a title – of course – but what we cannot do is to forget from where we came.
"I think today to be competitive, to arrive in this moment with the possibility to be third, I think if you look at the past and the history of the club, I think this group of players deserves a lot of credit, and the club of course for making all that situation happen. Of course it’s never enough in football and I always told the players, after working hard for two hours in a training session ‘yes well done but it’s not enough, it’s not enough'. You can see that it’s not enough to have the possibility to fight for the Champions League. The people want to win, but we are the first that want to win, only we need patience to win."
