Ian Wright was baffled why Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was making negative comments ahead of the clash with Borussia Dortmund.
The former Arsenal forward was asked his opinion on the Spurs boss calling on the English football authorities, as reported on by the London Evening Standard, to help when it comes to scheduling games around the Champions League.
Wright shared that Pochettino always seemed to be negative ahead of Spurs having to take their game to the next level as if he was trying to create an excuse for his team, and the pundit just shared he found it all rather confusing.
“You know what, there’s not a lot of difference and what I found strange is especially when Spurs are in and around something when they have to go to the next level, he seems to find a way of being negative about something, almost trying to give himself and his team a way out,” said Wright on the Monday Night Club (BBC Radio 5 Live, March 4th, 19:41)
“They are 3-0 up so why are you even worried about this, it’s another negative thing you’re bringing in on yourself, I really find him very very confusing at this stage of this season.
“It’s really strange.”
OPINION
Wright is probably not alone in being baffled by the timing of Pochettino’s remarks but when is he meant to air this sort of concern? Spurs go into their clash with Dortmund with a 3-0 lead and no doubt feel very confident about progressing to the next round. If Pochettino had aired his concerns about scheduling ahead of a match that Spurs looked like losing, then everyone would claim he was preparing for his side to go out. However it’s very likely that he isn’t creating a ready-made excuse for his side despite Wright’s verdict and instead is just trying to vocalise a problem he believes effects all English sides in the Champions League and Europa League. It will be interesting to see how Spurs handle the match with Dortmund on Tuesday as with such a comfortable lead, they could be at risk of resting on their laurels. This is especially the case when they seemed not at the races against Arsenal at the weekend as they were lucky to get a draw in the latest North London derby.