TOTTENHAM MANAGER MAURICIO Pochettino has admitted he couldn’t leave his house for 10 days after his side’s Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.
Spurs fell 2-0 to Liverpool in last month’s showpiece in Madrid, as Pochettino’s men saw their dream run end in heartbreak.
Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot early and Divock Origi put the game away late in a match that was far from a classic.
After his side scored memorable wins against Manchester City and Ajax in the quarter-final and semi-final, respectively, Pochettino says the outcome in the final was especially disappointing.
“Yes, it was difficult,” the 47-year-old said. “We had the most unbelievable three weeks to prepare before the final. [We were] massively disappointed in the way we lost.”
The former Argentina international said the magnitude of the defeat could only be matched by another loss from his playing career.
“It was very bad,” Pochettino said.
I compare with summer 2002, when we drew with Sweden and were beaten by England in the group stage at [the] World Cup, within one week. As a player and as a manager both are the worst moments in my career.”
Just like that summer 17 years ago, Pochettino was left with some time off to reflect following the defeat.
The Argentine said he needed some solitude to try and recover from the bitter disappointment of losing a European final.
“I took a train from Madrid to Barcelona the day after,” Pochettino said. “I spent 10 days in my home and didn’t want to go out. Yes, it was tough because you nearly touched the glory.”
Reflecting on the game at the Wanda Metropolitano, Pochettino insists that his team were the better side on the day and admitted that the match wasn’t ideal viewing for neutrals.
“I thought we were better than Liverpool,” Pochettino said. “It wasn’t a great final but small details made the difference.”
After some time to recover from the loss, Pochettino says that he is now freshly motivated to go one better in the 2019-20 season.
“Winners move on quickly,” Pochettino said. “Maybe 10 days like me, or 15.
“When it’s holidays it’s worse because every day you are thinking the same, but when you start to train you put the bad things in the past.
“The moment you move on, the fire inside starts to appear again.”
