Paul Merson revealed he was surprised that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino angrily confronted referee Mike Dean after the 2-1 lost to Burnley.
The Sky Sports pundit shared he didn’t know exactly what happened but he dreaded to think what the official said as usually Pochettino and Spurs assistant manager Jesus Perez are class and conduct themselves well when their side lose.
Merson also added that he believes Spurs losing to Burnley had seen them blow their chance to get back in the Premier League title race for the second time.
“I don’t know what happened with Pochettino, cause that’s not him,” said Merson on Sky Sports’ The Debate (Monday February 25th, 22:09)
“Yea (he flipped) that’s not him, not him, something has gone on, he was unhappy with the decision but even then something is said.
“I dread to think what’s said cause even the coach there, his assistant, he’s saying you can’t say that, you can’t say that, I give them…they are class, they conduct themselves well when they lose.
“He’s a good loser, he’s respectful when losing, you never see him moan after the game if he has got injuries, never seen him moaning.
“Something has gone on there and he knew that was their second chance of getting back in the title race and the second time they blew it.”
OPINION
Merson clearly was taken aback by Pochettino venting his frustrations just like everyone else was. The Spurs manager is normally a cool and calm presence on the sidelines and it was odd to see him practically spitting feathers at Dean. While emotions were likely running high after seeing his side fluff a golden opportunity when it comes to their title ambitions, it was still a surprise to see his reaction. What is most amusing about Merson’s verdict on the Spurs controversy is that he can’t help but take a little dig. While he is calling Pochettino a ‘good loser’ in the best sense possible, it’s not a label that a football manager will enjoy having. Given Merson’s connections to Arsenal, you can’t help but feel this is a sly backhanded comment by the pundit. As for Spurs’ title ambitions, Merson is right to say they blew a chance to really put themselves in a great position. However they’re not completely out of it yet and they can put the cat amongst the pigeons by beating Manchester City and Liverpool.