Mauricio Pochettino went in search of bovine inspiration as he arrived in Italy and wondered aloud whether Tottenham might be better off for last year’s agonising exit at the hands of Juventus.
‘This experience does not help if you are not clever,’ mused Pochettino. ‘It is like the cow in the field who sees the train pass at the same time every day. If you ask the cow what time is the train he won’t have the answer.
‘Experience will help, of course, but not only experience wins you games. Many things are important — hunger, motivation, circumstances…’
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side take on Inter Milan away in the Champions League
Tottenham’s last European campaign was a thrilling ride. There were victories to savour against Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid and they recovered from two down in Turin to secure a draw in the first leg of the last-16 tie at Juventus.
It all unravelled when the Italian champions beat them at Wembley, however, and they launch this campaign against Inter Milan, a team languishing near the bottom of Serie A with only four points from their first four games.
In comparison, Spurs are healthier, but their form has stuttered since a victory at Manchester United and they travelled to Milan on the back of defeats against Watford and Liverpool. With Barcelona also in Group B, avoiding defeat at the San Siro is vital.
Spurs have been vulnerable from set-pieces, not helped by the absence of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris who, having lifted the World Cup, has started the season with a driving ban and a thigh injury.
With the new stadium at White Hart Lane lagging behind schedule and no new summer signings, Pochettino admits it has proved a difficult few weeks on many levels — but he has not been prepared to accept criticism of Harry Kane.
Tottenham trained on the San Siro turf on the eve of their European clash with the Serie A side
‘Harry is an easy target,’ he said. ‘It’s easy to blame him when he’s up front and the team need goals but there is a lot to thank him for in the last four years.
‘Every single fan and every team-mate needs to say thank you to Harry. When you see what he has provided for the team it is so difficult to complain because he is not scoring goals and the team lost the last two games.
‘He needs to improve but the team need to improve.’
Here is the crux of Pochettino’s argument. He wants a collective response to the slow start. It will not represent a solution if Kane hauls them out of trouble with a flurry of goals. The problems run deeper. He needs everyone to lift their game and will not promote the idea of fatigue after a World Cup summer as an excuse.
When he left Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier at home, he insisted on calling it a ‘technical decision’ rather than a rest.
‘The team is not the best and it is a collective problem,’ said Pochettino. ‘Not only one player. It is different reasons why (we didn’t win) the last few games. It is not about being tired or not tired. It is not about the World Cup.’
Pochettino labelled striker Harry Kane an ‘easy target’ for criticism on Monday evening
He is, however, prepared to admit his team cannot expect to compete for the major prizes, the Premier League or the Champions League, if they do not improve.
‘We are not realistic contenders in any single competition,’ Pochettino added. ‘That is my view. If we show the same face as against Watford, it is impossible to be a contender. If we show the same face as against Liverpool, it is also difficult. In some periods of the game against Manchester United, maybe yes. The last two defeats are so good if the effect is to wake up and improve. We have time to improve. There is time.
‘We must start to show we deserve to be a contender at the end, we need to be consistent during the whole season.
‘I am not challenging players. Only showing the reality. It is so important to see the reality if you want to improve.
‘To be real contenders, we need to improve a lot. A lot.
‘If not we are going to be a good team and, of course, we can win, we can lose, but contenders? To be realistic contenders we need to show much more.’