Postecoglou to Pochettino: No guard of honour on Spurs return

Ange Postecoglou said Tottenham fans would show Mauricio Pochettino “nothing but respect” when he returns to the club next week, but insisted there would be no guard-style display of gratitude of honor.

Pochettino will make his first appearance at Spurs on Monday evening when Chelsea travel to N17, having managed the club for five and a half years until November 2019.

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The 51-year-old transformed Tottenham into a top-four regular, contending for the 2016-17 Premier League before reaching the 2019 Champions League final.

There was speculation that Pochettino could manage Spurs again – particularly after Antonio Conte’s dismissal in March – but instead this summer he joined London rivals Chelsea, who have had a slow start to the campaign, placing in 11th place.

Speaking at his press conference on Thursday, Postecoglou said: “There is no doubt that he has had an incredible impact on this football club. Like all of us in our roles, that is our ultimate goal and our ambition: whatever doors we pass through, we make an impact.

“He’s had an undeniable impact on this football club, his time here – he almost took the club to the ultimate summit in the Champions League, got closer to the league. So his work is undisputed.

“Everyone I talk to here, there are still people who worked with him, they can’t talk enough about him as a person, as a manager. I doubt there’s anything other than respect for Maurício from anyone at this football club — supporters or people associated with it.

That doesn’t mean he’ll get a guard of honor Monday night because we want to win. And I don’t think he would expect that. But his tenure and his impact here is undeniable and will stand up to scrutiny. test of time. Whenever people think of Mauricio and his time as Spurs manager, they will only regard him with respect and fondness.”

Chelsea have spent more than £1 billion since new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their takeover of the club in May 2022, signing a large number of players to long-term contracts, some of which run until 2030 and beyond.

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Asked what he thought of Chelsea’s journey over the last 18 months and the challenge Pochettino faces, Postecoglou replied: “Whether it’s Mauricio or any other manager, I suppose, you don’t know really what they have to face to get to the end. But at the same time, while others may look at the situation and say “this is a very difficult question”, there will be managers who say “I wish having a billion to spend and waste” because what some sometimes see as an advantage, others see it as a disadvantage.

“That’s the challenge for all of us managers. I really think we’re all in our own unique space that no one can really understand, because none of us can really divulge all the information, because that’s how it is how organizations work.

“What I have to face and what Mauricio has to face are probably very, very different. But in essence, what we are trying to do is the same thing: build a team that we believe can bring success .

“You look at Mauricio’s track record and I have no doubt that he will put Chelsea on the right track, I have no doubt about it. How he does it, he knows better than anyone.”

Asked if he would like to spend £1 billion, Postecoglou added: “Not necessarily. I always said I never thought it was just about spending money .This has been proven time and time again.

“Yeah, look, if you get that right, then you have a pretty strong case, but there’s always a limit for every team.

“You can’t have 24 world-class players. It will never work. It doesn’t work, it’s been proven. It’s about having a balanced team, guys who are committed to a cause, guys who maybe they won’t.” play all the games, but every time they play they will have a huge impact for you because they adhere to what you are trying to build.

“It has been proven time and time again that spending endless money to sign the best players is not the answer. The answer is to have the right chemistry in your team, in your squad, to have 24 players committed to one cause. I don’t.” I don’t think you can achieve that if you just recruit the 24 best players in the world. This is a headache I definitely don’t want.