Poch on team selection: ‘Tottenham are not a charity’

Joe Williams

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says he cannot pick players out of “charity” if they are no longer performing at the level he expects.

Spurs look set to sell a former mainstay of the team Victor Wanyama while Jan Vertonghen has surprisingly been omitted from the opening two games of the season, with Pochettino partnering Davinson Sanchez with Toby Alderweireld in defence.

Vertonghen’s absence from the team has been a constant point of conversation, but Pochettino says the reasoning is very simple.

“I am only going to decide to try and provide the best players that are in my head to play,” he said. “If I don’t play someone it is because I believe there is another in my opinion that is better. This is very clear.”

Speaking more generally, he added: “It is all about performance. It is all about today. Football is about today and tomorrow not yesterday.

“We are in a team… We are not a charity first of all. It is about performance and we are the coaching staff and we have a lot of options to play to play different players.

“If I play Davinson and Toby, why not play Jan? If play Davinson and Jan, why not Toby? If play (Ben) Davies, why not Danny (Rose)?

“And if I play Danny why not Davies? (Harry) Winks and not (Eric) Dier? Dier, why not Wanyama? We can stay here one hour talking about that.

“I am the coach and need to take the decision and hope it will be right.”