Mauricio Pochettino's title race comments are exactly what Tottenham need

By Max Cohen

With a dominating 5-0 Boxing Day win against Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur swooped into second position and established themselves as genuine title challengers.

Yet Mauricio Pochettino struck a pragmatic tone when discussing Spurs’ title hopes — a level-headed approach that is exactly what his side needs.

When speaking to the Evening Standard after the match, Pochettino refused to call Tottenham serious contenders for the Premier League title.

“If we are capable at the end to keep our level, maybe we can talk at the end of the season that we are real challengers but today is so early to talk about if we are or not real contenders for the title,” Pochettino said.

(Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Despite Spurs’ excellent recent run of form and their second place position, the Argentine manager is absolutely justified in his realism. Pochettino and Spurs must not get carried away with themselves, as the gap to the league leaders Liverpool is six points, and Tottenham only lead Manchester City by a singular point.

By keeping expectations low, Pochettino allows his players to simply get on with the season and play their captivating brand of football, free of the pressure of chasing for the title.

With half the season still to play, it would be premature for Pochettino to publicly label Tottenham title contenders just yet.

The Tottenham manager’s measured title race comments are the ideal response, keeping the pressure and expectations off his free-flowing side.