Chelsea's Pochettino reveals respect for under-fire Ten Hag
Mauricio Pochettino insists his Tottenham team’s memorable victory over Erik ten Hag’s Ajax in 2019 will not motivate the Dutchman to get revenge on Wednesday night. Pochettino will face Ten Hag for the first time since that Champions League thriller when his Chelsea side visit Manchester United.
In an incredible European semi-final, Ajax led 1-0 after the first leg and took a 3-0 aggregate lead in the reverse fixture at home. But a remarkable comeback saw Spurs win 3-2 and go through to the final on away goals.
Lucas Moura’s hat-trick, sealed with a strike with the final kick of the game, was a bitter experience for Ten Hag. But Pochettino has rubbished suggestions that the United boss will have extra motivation to win four years later.
“I never saw him again after that night,” Pochettino pointed out on Tuesday. “In four years this is the first chance we have had to meet again. Of course it was really painful for him, this situation.
“But sometimes when you are a coach there are things you cannot control. This is the beauty of football. He wasn’t on the pitch. People make you responsible of course. But you cannot change anything from outside. It’s difficult.
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“It was one of my best nights in football. For sure it was tough for him. But we all move on. For sure he has moved on and he is at a great club now. It’s going to be nice to meet him.”
But asked if the encounter will spur Ten Hag on to get revenge, Pochettino responded: “Motivation about something that happened four years ago? No. Of course we always want to win. But I don’t believe something that happened four years ago is going to provide any motivation.
“There is nothing between us. I remember shaking hands with him afterwards. These things happen in football.”
Ten Hag faces a precarious situation at Old Trafford. United have lost 10 matches already this season – the last time they had suffered that many defeats in such a short time the club were relegated.
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But Pochettino, who is slowly turning round a difficult period at Chelsea, insists he will not give tips to his counterpart. “No, no, no. I am only a coach that tries to do my best. We are no-one to give advice to my colleagues,” he said.
“It’s not my duty to talk about what’s going on in another place. I am very respectful. It is not fair to compare. Is it a good time to play them? No. We cannot choose the time. It’s always good to play at Old Trafford. A great opportunity.
“We are at a similar level. I don’t say it’s a good moment to go there. It is going to be tough. But we want to keep our momentum. We need to go there and try to win. I am focused on my club. We need to do much better.”
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