Pochettino not surprised about speculation over his future
SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (OCTOBER - 21, 2019 (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. VARIOUS OF TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER MAURICIO POCHETTINO ARRIVING FOR TRAINING SESSION
2. POCHETTINO AND TOTTENHAM CAPTAIN HARRY KANE ARRIVING FOR PRESS CONFERENCE
3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, MAURICIO POCHETTINO, SAYING:
REPORTER QUESTION: "Mauricio, you mentioned the Champions League final. Are you surprised, just a few months after that, that people are questioning your future at this club?
POCHETTINO:
"No, that is football. I am not surprised. That is football in the same way that people praise you if you are not performing in the way that people expect. It's normal. No, no, no, no. I am not surprised.
"Football is always about to win today and tomorrow. What happened yesterday, gone, and we apply this philosophy to us. Coaching staff, manager, you always need to think that you need to win today and tomorrow. That is why we are sometimes too much ahead and the people sometimes believe that okay come on gaffer, you are thinking too much, too much. Yes I think too much ahead because if I not win... it not (to) surprise me this rumour."
4. POCHETTINO KICKING BALL WITH PLAYERS
5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, MAURICIO POCHETTINO, SAYING:
"But I understand it's business. I understand. I am 47, 48, look. Why do you think that I don't have white? (in his hair) Because I don't pay attention to this. Only pay attention that we need to improve our performance, and if we don't improve our performance, which is the result after. What is going to be the result? Always the same in football."
6. VARIOUS OF TOTTENHAM TEAM TRAINING
7. CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN AND JAN VERTONGHEN TRAINING
8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, MAURICIO POCHETTINO, SAYING:
"But of course the most important is to build our confidence again. We are conceding a lot of goals, we are conceding a lot of chances and of course the results are not the results that we expect. And of course that is our objective, our principle objective is to be again a solid team and of course to perform in the way that we can perform. And of course it's going to be so important about the result to have three points more for our side, but the most important that we are trying to find for tomorrow is to be solid, is to recover the good feelings, perform in the way that we can perform. But of course the result is going to help in case to win."
9. KANE TRAINING
10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR CAPTAIN, HARRY KANE, SAYING:
"We're just not getting the results we want obviously. It's hard to put a finger on it and directly say what's going on. The players are obviously giving everything, we're doing our best. Sometimes when you have a run of form like this things just don't quite go your way in games and you have to try and get over them hurdles. But it's important for us as a team to stick together and keep working hard, keep doing our best on the pitch, and then hopefully we can win tomorrow night to start and that can kick us forward to getting on a winning run."
11. MORE OF KANE
12. SON HEUNG-MIN TRAINING
13. PLAYERS TRAINING
STORY: Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said on Monday (October 21) that he is not surprised there are rumours about his future following the club's difficult start to the season.
Spurs have taken only 12 points from their first nine Premier League games and lie in third place in their Champions League group ahead of their home match against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday.
Last year's beaten finalists lie third in Group B after drawing 2-2 at Olympiakos in their opening match of this year's competition before being humiliated 7-2 by Bayern Munich in London last time out.
Pochettino said he was not worried about press speculation around his position but was focused on turning his team's form around, saying that a victory over Red Star tomorrow could help kick start their season.
Striker Harry Kane, captain in the absence of injured goalkeepr Hugo Lloris, said it was important for the players to stick together to fight their way back to form.
(Production: Will Russell/Andy Ragg)
