OPINION
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has hit out at the Premier League for their thoughtless scheduling of Spurs’ fixtures, and the Argentine has every right to feel aggrieved.
The Londoners host Leicester City at Wembley on Sunday afternoon before facing Borussia Dortmund in the the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash on Wednesday evening.
Playing on Sunday means that Spurs will have one less day than most clubs in Europe to prepare for the midweek matches, leaving Pochettino fairly incensed.
As quoted by the BBC, he said: “We are not receiving help. It’s a massive disadvantage to play with one day less to prepare.
“The Premier League must care about teams involved in the competition.”
“I’m not frustrated but in another country like Spain, Germany, France, clubs involved can be helped – the league is going to help you arrive in the best condition.”
The Argentine has every right to be annoyed. One day may not seem like a lot, but when you’re squaring up to Europe’s elite, especially when your squad has suffered the injuries and absences that Spurs’ have, that extra advantage can make all the difference.
You would presume that the Premier League would be keen for their exports to go as far as they can in Europe to boost the reputation of our domestic game, but by dealing Tottenham such a cruel hand, they could be consigning them to an early exit.
The most infuriating thing about this whole thing, however, is that it could probably have been avoided.
Ultimately, the league have made them play then for TV purposes, and while that shouldn’t be immediately discredited as some kind of shallow devilry, surely there could be another fixture to fill that slot that didn’t involve a side gunning for a place in the last eight of the Champions League.
If the rest of Europe are making concessions for their top sides, why aren’t we?