Tottenham third in table after 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Saturday; Melissa Reddy, JOE's Senior Football Correspondent, says Pochettino has done "amazing job" under financial limitations
Sunday 3 March 2019 15:41, UK
Mauricio Pochettino has exceeded expectations with Tottenham, football journalist Melissa Reddy told Sunday Supplement, but she questions how long it can continue.
The Argentine has led Spurs to top-four finishes in each of the past three Premier League seasons, but he is yet to win a trophy at the club.
Tottenham remain third in the table after drawing 1-1 with rivals Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday.
"Pochettino's done an amazing job at Tottenham, there's obviously the asterisk about the trophy, but when you see who they've competed against in finals and semi-finals, Chelsea and Manchester United, those are teams that are stronger than Tottenham and have greater resources than Tottenham," said Reddy, who is JOE's Senior Football Correspondent.
"They are not teams you automatically beat in the hunt for silverware.
"What he's done in his five years there has made people put Tottenham on that level. Their net spend is £30m. That's staggering.
"The issue is, Manchester City and Liverpool will get stronger by virtue of the quality they already have and what they can attract by the way they play. Spurs don't have the wage bill to compete with those clubs.
"How does Pochettino continue to exceed expectations under these limitations?"
Spurs' owner Daniel Levy has drawn criticism after failing to sign new players in the past two transfer windows, and injuries to Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen have left Tottenham struggling at times for the consistency required in a title race.
"That Tottenham squad is still not deep enough, and that's partly Pochettino's fault," Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail said.
"It's very easy to blame everything on Levy, but Poch is very particular about who he buys, how big his squad is, he's obsessed with having a small squad, because he thinks it engenders unity, cohesion, and that's him, not Daniel Levy.
"Spurs cannot spend the money City spend, but they can spend money, and they haven't in the last two summers when they could have. And that's down to Pochettino."
