Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping his Tottenham side can mount a stronger challenge this year.
Mauricio Pochettino believes that the fight for the title takes highest precedence for Premier League clubs, who suffer in Europe as a result.
Pochettino has seen his Tottenham side fare contrastingly domestically and continentally, being knocked out before the final round of group stage matches last year despite recording an 86-point season at home, the highest tally in the club’s history.
Other English sides have similarly struggled in Europe, with no side reaching the final since Chelsea’s win in Munich in 2012, and only two semi-finalists coming from England in the five seasons since.
Spurs boss Pochettino has put this down to a cultural difference when it comes to playing priorities in England.
“The Premier League is the principal competition for every player that plays in the Premier League,” Pochettino said.
“The feeling in Italy is that the Champions League is the most important competition in the world, but in English culture the Premier League is the most important. And the FA Cup.
“The Champions League and Europa League are important but not on the same level. That is so difficult to explain outside – only when you are here can you realise the Premier League is massive for every single club, and the players too.
“In Spain or Italy they prioritise the Champions League rather than the domestic league. And the teams at another [lower] level prioritise the Europa League rather than the domestic league. That is massive.
“And you can understand it because the Premier League is the most tough, impressive and exciting league in the world.”
Despite acknowledging the potential difference made by a winter break, Pochettino remains doubtful that English football’s schedule could change to match its European counterparts.
“The busy period is Christmas, when other competitions like La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga rest and don’t compete. The consequence is not arriving in the best condition for the key moments of the Champions League and the Europa League.
“But we cannot change. That’s England, that’s the culture and we have to be clever to find a different way to be competitive.”
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