Pochettino calls for patience in Spurs’ quest for trophies

Mauricio Pochettino has called for patience in Tottenham's pursuit of silverware. 

The north London side crashed out of the Europa League to Gent on Thursday night and ahead of Sunday’s welcome of Stoke, sit 13 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea. 

The FA Cup looks to be Spurs’ be chance of glory, with a 3-0 win at Fulham last weekend setting up a quarter final meeting with London rivals Millwall next month. 

Pochettino has overseen significant improvements since taking charge of Spurs and believes they are on the right path to glory and considered the ongoing construction of the club’s new stadium as a metaphor for the work going on at the club. 

“We have pushed the expectations higher because last season we were there – second, third in the league – and that is good,” Pochettino told the Guardian. 

“But my question is maybe we are not ready [in terms of trophies]. It’s like the stadium: if we want to move today, we are not ready to play there. We need to wait, to build the foundations. It’s always a problem, to be patient, to arrive. 

“The important thing is the club. Our chairman has built the foundation – new facilities on the training ground, a new stadium to help to be a better team and a bigger club. We are on the way to building one of the best clubs in Europe. But we must be patient.” 

Pochettino is keen to strengthen the squad in the summer, though admits Spurs need to be “clever” in the transfer market, adding: “Football is about quality and being clever. It’s always about improving. We must add quality to the team if we want to fight for big things. And we will try. It’s our job to find the right profile and player that can play for us.”

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