- Tottenham manager has reminded disgruntled players he is in charge
- Left-back Danny Rose admitted he was furious to miss the north London derby
- Pochettino left him out of the squad to face Arsenal on fitness concerns
- But Pochettino hasn’t taken too kindly to his authority being undermined
Mauricio Pochettino has reminded his players: ‘I’m the boss.’
Left-back Danny Rose admitted in the week that he was furious that Pochettino left him out of Tottenham’s squad for the North London Derby defeat to Arsenal.
The Spurs manager, however, is well aware that many of his players are frustrated at being omitted from his plans but insists it is up to them to deal with it.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has reminded his players who is in charge
Danny Rose was frustrated to be omitted from the squad for last weekend’s derby with Arsenal
‘Ask me about [Rose] or Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, who wasn’t involved, or Paulo Gazzaniga or Kieran Trippier or Ben Davies. If you say they were upset? Of course. They were disappointed? Of course. They were angry, fuming?
‘Of course because they want to play, Michel Vorm the same. But I am the boss. That is the problem for the players.
‘Always when you take decisions about the starting 11 and the 18 players in the squad, the players that are not in the squad and who are not involved and not playing regularly are not happy. But that is normal.’
As Pochettino’s high-flying Spurs side continue to impress in the Premier League and Champions League the competition for places has never been fiercer.
Rose returned to the Tottenham starting line-up for the match with Borussia Dortmund
Pochettino reminded his disgruntled stars that competition for places in the team is fierce
Spurs are fourth in the Premier League table ahead of their weekend meeting with West Brom
But with players such as Rose and winger Erik Lamela returning from long-term injuries it is presenting the Argentinian with difficult selection decisions.
Pochettino revealed that Lamela, who has been absent for 13 months with a hip problem, will be assessed on Friday and could make it on to the bench to face West Bromwich Albion at Wembley.
The 25-year-old has made a return to the pitch for the under 23s and is training well.
‘If [he’s not ready] then we decide maybe for him to play in the under 23s. It’s true that we have a lot of games ahead now; Saturday, Tuesday and then the weekend again. We’ll see, we’ll see.
‘I hope that it’s going well with him and his mind and he feels that confidence to be available again to play.’