Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has spoken out about the 2018/19 Champions League final loss for the first time.
Spurs were on the losing end of their first-ever Champions League final as the north London side were defeated 2-0 by Premier League rivals Liverpool, and Pochettino, speaking to the Evening Standard, has finally opened up about what happened to him following the loss in Madrid.
Speaking to the press ahead of the Audi Cup in Munich where Spurs will face off against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich or Fenerbahce, Pochettino admitted that the defeat to Liverpool ranked as painful as Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to England in the 2002 World Cup, a game in which the Spurs manager played in.
Pochettino said: “It was very bad. I compare (the Champions League final loss) with summer 2002 when we drew with Sweden and were beaten by England in the group stage at World Cup, within one week. As a player and as a manager both are the worst moments in my career.
The Tottenham boss added: “I took a train from Madrid to Barcelona the day after. I spent 10 days in my home and didn’t want to go out. Yes, it was tough because you nearly touched the glory.”
Not everyone associated with Tottenham was disappointed with the defeat, though, as BBC Sport pundit and former midfielder Jermaine Jenas called the final ‘a key moment in Tottenham’s history’ (per BBC Sport).
The Champions League defeat will no doubt be a result that sits poorly in the minds of Tottenham fans for years to come when you consider the fact they conceded a penalty so early into one of their biggest games ever, but the north London side have responded strongly since that night in Madrid.
The club smashed their transfer record for the signing of Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele (per BBC Sport) with reports circling that Spurs are still in the hunt for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso (per ElDesmarque) as well as Juventus striker Paulo Dybala (per Football London).
Pochettino suffered a blow in Madrid, but the Spurs boss is seemingly building upon that after previously talking about a new direction for his club.
Tottenham fans, will Pochettino lead the club to silverware next season? Let us know!
