Pochettino: Managing Tottenham´s squad has made me a better boss

Mauricio Pochettino feels he has improved as a manager this season having rotated his squad to help Tottenham fight on three fronts.

Spurs are third in the Premier League table and this month they booked their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League and the EFL Cup semi-finals.

Many of Pochettino’s players entered this campaign having represented their countries in the latter stages of the World Cup, while next month Spurs will lose the in-form Son Heung-min to the Asian Cup.

Yet Pochettino, who has been linked with the permanent vacancy at Manchester United following Jose Mourinho’s sacking this week, has found a way to juggle his resources effectively.

Asked whether the challenges he has faced this season have improved him, Pochettino told several national newspapers: “Yes, of course. We are a better coaching staff today.

“We are a better coaching team, but not only the coaching staff. The medical staff, everyone in this football club is improving. We are much better now.

A toast to the festive season at today’s Christmas lunch! #SpursXmas pic.twitter.com/MOPvVypK7t

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 20, 2018

“We are learning a lot. Only you can learn if you are humble enough to accept the criticism and accept that in some moments you can be wrong.

“Not only do we analyse the team and the players, every single decision we always review ourselves to try to see if we were right, if we were wrong or if we can be better or not.

“Sometimes you don’t get the result you want and you say, ‘Okay, but if we were in the same position again we would repeat the decision’.

“But in another situation, maybe [you] say, ‘We need to be better in our decision, our assessment’. Always it is so important how we assess ourselves.”

There will be more rotation from Pochettino over the hectic festive period as Tottenham’s trip to Everton on Sunday is their first of five games in 13 days.

“Now it’s the toughest period and more than ever we’re going to use the squad,” the Spurs boss explained.

“I feel so sorry for people who don’t like rotation!”