Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham do respect FA Cup despite likely rotation against Newport County
The likes of Juan Foyth, Fernando Llorente and Harry Winks are all in contention to start
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Your support makes all the difference.Mauricio Pochettino insisted that Tottenham Hotspur are paying due respect to the FA Cup, despite the strong likelihood that he will put out a weakened side for Wednesday night’s fourth-round replay against Newport County.
Pochettino named a strong starting XI for the 1-1 draw at Rodney Parade, but following a draining 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday, and with the derby against Arsenal this Saturday morning and a Champions League last-16 tie at Juventus to follow, Pochettino promised a number of changes at Wembley, with the likes of Juan Foyth, Fernando Llorente and Harry Winks in contention to start.
But he defended his decision to rotate his squad, denying that Tottenham had underestimated the threat of the League Two club during the first game.
“We are a team that respects everyone,” he said. “For us, all the competitions are important. I’m tired of explaining, but football is about 24-25 players, it is about quality of effort, and we are going to rotate because we trust in all the players.
“For me, it is the same whether it is Newport or another Premier League team. We take the competition very seriously, and of course we are going to put our best starting XI to try to win the game. It is not important, the names. We are Tottenham and we must win.”
Pochettino also claimed that he was not “obsessed” with the idea of winning a trophy at Tottenham, as many observers have claimed he must do in order to secure his legacy in English football. The Tottenham manager has made no secret of his belief in the primacy of the Premier League and Champions League over the two domestic cup competitions, and his prioritisation of the long-term process over the short-term outcome.
“Of course we want to win [a trophy],” he said. “Because to win a trophy, I won as a player, and I know how you feel after a win. But I am not obsessed to win, win, win, win. To win, we need to create a strong team, a strong mentality. For that you need time. And in the next few years, if it all continues like this, we will be one of the contenders to win trophies, sure.”
One positive for Pochettino is that he has virtually a full squad to pick from, with Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose available to make their returns from injury. The only enforced absence will be new signing Lucas Moura, who is ineligible to play in the replay because he was not registered in time for the initial tie.
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