Mauricio Pochettino on Tottenham: No Hard Feelings as Chelsea Aim to Overtake Rivals
Share this
Chelsea Still Have a Shot at Fifth Place Over Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino says he’ll never wish anything bad for Tottenham, even as Chelsea tries to snag fifth place in the Premier League from them.
For Chelsea to finish above Spurs, they need to beat Bournemouth in their final game, and Tottenham has to lose to already-relegated Sheffield United. If that happens, both teams would end the season with 63 points, but Chelsea would edge out Spurs due to a better goal difference (+13 vs. +10).
It would be a surprising end to the season for Pochettino, especially since his future with Chelsea has been uncertain at times. This is his first job in English football since being fired by Tottenham in 2019. Some Tottenham fans might not be happy seeing him at Chelsea because of the rivalry between the two London clubs.
Pochettino’s future at Chelsea will be discussed soon, and finishing fifth could definitely boost his case. However, he insists he isn’t hoping for a Spurs loss.
When asked if he wanted Tottenham to lose during Friday’s pre-match press conference, Pochettino said, “Not really, I never wish bad things for the club. We need to do our job.”
He also mentioned that they wouldn’t be taking any chances with the recently fit-again forward Christopher Nkunku. Nkunku, who scored against Brighton earlier this week, has had injury issues all season.
“He played more than we expected because Mykhailo Mudryk got injured against Brighton,” Pochettino explained. “So tomorrow we’ll assess him. We don’t want to take any risks because we want him to finish this season well and be ready for the pre-season.”
