Mauricio Pochettino SHOULD be under pressure to win trophies at Tottenham, believes Glenn Hoddle.
The Spurs legend was responding to claims made by Harry Redknapp on talkSPORT on Tuesday, and insists winning a title – any title – is pivotal to the club reaching the next level.
Speaking to the Sports Breakfast, Redknapp revealed his conversation with chairman Daniel Levy, in which the Spurs supremo said Pochettino is ‘under no pressure to win anything’ at the club.
But Hoddle – an FA Cup and UEFA Cup winner with Tottenham – says the manager should be, saying just one cup win could be the catalyst for big success at their new stadium, ahead of their opening match against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
“If I was Daniel Levy, I’d be opposite,” the White Hart Lane hero told Sports Day on talkSPORT 2.
“I think every single Tottenham fan in the country would be saying, ‘hang on, we want to win something!’
“We went a long time without winning anything before we won the FA Cup in ‘81.
“By winning something as a group of people you actually believe you’re going to do it again. And you know what, we won another one in ’82 and in ’84 we won the UEFA Cup.
“So it’s a stepping stone to get a group of people who believe. Your mentality changes when you win something and any footballer and any club in history would tell you that.
“I think [winning a trophy] is important to Tottenham’s future, whether it’s an FA Cup or League Cup.
“Getting in the top four in that stadium is imperative as well, of course it is, but even if you miss out for one season, if you win a trophy that would be a stepping stone to winning something else.
“When you win something, you just believe. You know. You get a feeling inside you as a group of players like, ‘we’re not going to be beaten today even if we play bad.’
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“I think that’s where we’re at. We’ve got a great side and winning something, having that stadium and a wonderful training ground will allow Tottenham to keep their best players.
“In many ways it’s more important they keep their best players rather than whoever comes in at the moment.
“Yes, I think they need strengthening, but who they keep is absolutely vital for the future.”