The Spurs boss wants silverware, but admitted the importance of the cups is less important than the league or Europe
Mauricio Pochettino says his goal is to win the Premier League and Champions League, believing he would be sacked if he did not field a title contender while winning domestic cups.
Tottenham’s next two matches are in the cups, as they face off against Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup on Friday before a Tuesday meeting with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
The cups come as Spurs battle to stay in the title race, as they sit in third place, six points behind Liverpool and two behind Manchester City.
Tottenham are also in the knockout stage of the Champions League, with a round of 16 match against Borussia Dortmund coming in February.
And while Pochettino would love to see success in the in the domestic cup competitions, he does not value them over the Premier League or Champions League, and believes he would be sacked if they were the only accomplishments of a mid-table manager.
“If it’s only the objective to win the Carabao Cup and be in the middle of the table in the Premier League, I think today we’re not talking how we’re talking here,” Pochettino said. “I think I [would have been] sacked a few years ago, for sure, with two or three Carabao Cups or FA Cups.
“If you don’t finish how we’ve finished in the last three seasons [but win] the FA Cup, I don’t know if Daniel [Levy, the chairman] would have too much patience with me or is very nice and says, ‘OK you’re 10th in the Premier League, I keep you and even give you a new contract.’ I don’t believe that.”
Pochettino clarified that while he did want to win the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, those types of trophies were not the type to raise the profile of the club to upper reaches of the game.
“What is success? Of course, we’re the first that will want to win a trophy but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a very successful thing or put Tottenham in a different level,” Pochettino said.
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“What puts you in a different level is if you win the Premier League and you’re capable of challenging every season for the Premier League, and if you play Champions League and you really believe and you’re a real contender one day to win the Champions League. That’s my objective in Tottenham.
“If my ambition in Tottenham is only to win the Carabao Cup or FA Cup, with all the respect for that, I think my ambition does not match the ambition of a club like Tottenham. My ambition is to win the Champions League one day with Tottenham, or the Premier League.”
Should Spurs go on to Carabao Cup glory this season it will mark the first time the club has taken home silverware since 2008.
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