Mauricio Pochettino defends decision to leave Toby Alderweireld at home for Tottenham’s tie with Juventus
Pochettino held a two-hour meeting to explain his decision to Alderweireld
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has defended the decision to leave Toby Alderweireld out of his squad for the Champions League last-16 game against Juventus, insisting that the Belgian centre-half is still not fit enough for the rigours of Champions League football.
Alderweireld is reported to be displeased at being forced to stay in London, despite making his return to first-team action from a long-term hamstring injury in the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Newport last week. Pochettino and his assistant Jesus Perez held a two-hour meeting with Alderweireld to explain their decision to leave him out of the Juventus game, as well as the North London derby last Saturday.
And while Pochettino admitted it was a difficult call - given the player himself was convinced he was fit to play - he argued that ultimately, the matter was in the hands of the club’s medical staff, who had Alderweireld’s long-term interests at heart.
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Show all 15“We understand the player was working hard to play in the Champions League, and it is normal that it is exciting to have the possibility to play,” Pochettino said. “The player feels they are fit to play. But it is our responsibility, together with the medial department, to take the best decision.
“It is easy to put the player in, and then the player is put at risk. OK, maybe you can take the risk. But with this type of injury, be careful. Look at different players that had setbacks, like [Ross] Barkley. He [Alderweireld] is not 20 years old, he is 28. He needs to work hard. To play these type of tough games, you need to be 200 per cent.
“It’s not the same training as when you compete. It was a massive injury and we needed to be cautious, because we cannot put his career at risk. We designed a plan from day one to provide him the best route to recover. For sure, he is going to have the opportunity to be strong after the injury.
“But we need to apply our common sense and be careful in the way we are going to use him in the first few weeks after he is fit for training. We were lucky to have the replay against Newport for him to start to feel the competition. He will be part of the team next Sunday against Rochdale, and we are going to assess him day by day.”
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