Tottenham news: Mauricio Pochettino plays down Premier League title challenge using Formula One analogy

Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham’s bid for Premier League glory is like a Formula One car that has no chance of winning a grand prix even if one of the best drivers is behind the wheel.

Spurs could leap ahead of Manchester City into second place with a win against Newcastle – City play Arsenal on Sunday – and the manager’s analogy comes after Vincent Janssen was brought back into his 25-man squad, despite the Dutchman not having played for Spurs since August 2017.

He was expected to leave, but the club have recently lost two of their best players in Harry Kane and Dele Alli to lengthy injuries and Tottenham’s standing in the league is all the more impressive given the lack of money spent this season compared to their rivals and the fact they have still don’t have a permanent home.

None of that is conducive to making a realistic title bid and Formula One fan Pochettino used the plight of McLaren driver Fernando Alonso to highlight his point because, if a first league title since 1961 is delivered, it would rank alongside a McLaren Formula One championship victory in probability.

Alonso, up against Lewis Hamilton in a far superior car, finished 11th in the drivers’ championship last season, something Pochettino says was not down to his driving skills.

“If we win the Premier League, it’s not because we built a team to win the Premier League, it’s because in football things happen,” he said.

“When you work in football, it’s because you want to win. It’s easy to be passionate and shout, ‘I am a winner’ but if you don’t have the tools to win, it’s difficult.

“Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are the best drivers in Formula One. But if you put Hamilton in McLaren last season and Alonso in Mercedes, it’s the same story [for the teams], Hamilton on the bottom and Alonso on the top.

“That’s the reality. I follow Formula One. I love McLaren. But it wasn’t competitive last season. That’s the reality, no? But do you think that’s a problem with Alonso or a problem with the car?”