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Is Mauricio Pochettino thinking of leave Tottenham?

Sunday Supplement panel react to Spurs boss' comments after FA Cup semi-final exit

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The New York Times’ Rory Smith discusses comments made by Mauricio Pochettino after Tottenham’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United.

Mauricio Pochettino's jarring post-match comments after Tottenham's FA Cup semi-final exit have cast doubt over his seemingly secure future, according to Rory Smith.

Spurs suffered yet more semi-final heartache as Manchester United came from behind at Wembley to condemn them to an eighth consecutive defeat in the last four of the competition.

The defeat means Tottenham's wait for a first trophy since 2008 and a first under Pochettino continues, but it was the Argentine's unprompted and frequent discussion of his future which surprised Smith, Chief Soccer Correspondent of the New York Times.

Speaking on the Sunday Supplement, he said: "It felt like it was a Tottenham story day. Not necessarily losing an eighth semi-final defeat, because that dates back to 1993, but it did speak of a continued inability to take that final step.

"Having talked down the FA Cup for so long, Pochettino's frustration and disappointment was clear and he kept mentioning that they had to continue in the same direction with or without him - that's the first time I've heard him say anything like that.

Tottenham need more time with me or with another, but the most important thing is to keep going and keep developing that philosophy that is fantastic for this club.
Mauricio Pochettino

"Pochettino has created a story by saying, and he said it more than once. There is a general rule that if someone says something in a press conference it may be disappointment or frustration or a turn of phrase, especially with a foreign manager who is not speaking their native language.

"But if they say it more than once you assume they mean to say it. Pochettino said it to both broadcasters, domestic and international and then said it more than once in the press conference. So it is obviously something that is playing on his mind.

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"It hadn't even occurred to me that Pochettino might leave Tottenham but because he kept mentioning it you have to think about it.

Mauricio Pochettino
Image: Tottenham surrendered a lead in an FA Cup semi-final for the second successive season

"You wonder whether he is starting to wonder whether he might have to move himself to take that final step. Or it may have been how upset he was at missing that chance, especially after starting so well.

"But it was a jarring thing to hear, one of those moments in a press conference that made your ears prick up a little bit."

Smith was keen to put things into perspective, though, highlighting Pochettino's long list of achievements since taking the charge of Spurs in 2014.

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"The pressure on Pochettino to win a trophy four years in is absolutely fair and it is the natural next step," he added.

"But it does disguise exactly where Spurs were when he first arrived and how far he's taken them.

"If you said to a Spurs fan in 2014 - the day Tim Sherwood invited Danny Grimsdale, a fan, onto the bench - that they would reach one final, two FA Cup semi-finals, mount two genuine title challenges and beat Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League they would have taken it and thought you were slightly weird.

"That is what Pochettino has done. It shouldn't be overlooked. He does need something to hold up but that's not a bad list of achievements."

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