Swansea vs. Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino’s pre-match press briefing
By Gary Pearson
Mauricio Pochettino reminisces about his favourite moment in 2017 while paying close attention to the business at hand, when Spurs travel to Swansea on Jan. 2.
Victor Wanyama is back to full training and has been for most of the festive season, Mauricio Pochettino said.
It’s unlikely he’ll see any playing time against Swansea tomorrow, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wanyama play a part in Tottenham’s upcoming FA Cup tie against Wimbledon on Sunday.
When questioned about Harry Kane’s worth, Pochettino replied that his top striker is invaluable to Spurs and no price tag would justify his importance to the team. He also said that Kane, in his eyes, has always been a superstar and “nothing has changed” since Tottenham’s talisman has become more prominent on the world stage.
The same relentless journalist asked whether Pochettino thinks Kane can break yet another record by notching his third successive hat trick against Swansea tomorrow.
"Pochettino replied, “First, he needs to recover from his illness and then we’ll see if he can play first; step by step, but it would be fantastic, no?"
The gaffer is happy about Dele Alli’s recent performances, particularly how the 21-year-old played against Southampton on Boxing Day.
"“He’s a young player and sometimes he needs time to breath, he needs to take some time to perform (consistently) in the same way.”"
The gaffer said that Alli has achieved more than Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney did when they were his age.
Sometimes people need to take a step back and realize the magnitude of his accomplishments, and offer the 21-year-old a sliver of leniency.
Next: Tottenham poised to build on their current winning trend against Swansea
Pochettino, unwavering about his favourite moment in 2017, reminisced about Spurs defeating Manchester United 2-1 in their last home match at White Hart Lane.
He said finishing the season unbeaten at home, coupled with beating a Premier League giant, made it an emotional day he’ll never forget.
Spurs are seven points adrift of Liverpool with two matches in hand going into tomorrow’s crucial encounter with Swansea.
Only a win will suffice if Tottenham are to rein in Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea for one of the four coveted Champions League positions.