Mauricio Pochettino has slammed Antonio Conte telling the Chelsea boss to show him and Tottenham Hotspur more respect.
Blues boss Conte had taken a dig at Pochettino and Spurs insisting that it won’t be a “tragedy” if they do not win the Premier League or the Champions League title as their ambition and expectations are not as high as at Chelsea.
Conte had also heaped praise on Harry Kane and said that if he could buy any striker in the world, it would be the Tottenham Hotspur superstar.
But Pochettino, who guided his side full of youngsters to a second place finish in the Premier League last season, hit has hit back.
Pochettino said: “It made me laugh when he talked about Harry Kane because I don’t know why other people are so focused on my players and our club.”
“I respect every single opinion. I am so respectful of other players, other clubs, other managers, the owners of different clubs.”
“My job is to be focused on my players and my team and try to work together with our board, our fans, everything that is involved with the club. I show respect.”
“I’m not a manager who likes to speak about other clubs or managers or what happens in the corner. I’m trying to provide the best tools to compete and try to win because that’s our mentality.”
“It’s true for different clubs when they spend a lot of money the expectation and pressure is massive but it’s the same for us because it’s our own pressure and our own ambition.”
“It doesn’t mean because so far we haven’t invested money or signed players that our ambitions is not the same as clubs that have signed a lot of players and spent a lot of money.”
“I respect every single philosophy and for me the most important thing is to show more respect. I like to show respect to people that behave another way only I expect the same from people that compete with us.”
“I think it’s important to keep calm, respect every opinion. You don’t need to start to talk about another club because it’s most important to be focused on your club.”
Pochettino will now be up against his former player Kyle Walker, as Spurs lock horns with Man City in their final US tour game at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The former Espanyol boss said Walker’s £54 million transfer to Man City has been a good deal for everyone with the player wanting to move closer to his Sheffield roots.
He said: “To go back north was so important for him so it was a very open conversation. He was a very good player for us and I’m happy for him.”