No easy answer to player relationships, says Pochettino

Jose Mourinho must trust his "experience and intuition" in dealing with Paul Pogba, according to Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Published : Sep 27, 2018 22:14 IST

Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino share the touchline.
Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino share the touchline.
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Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino share the touchline.

Mauricio Pochettino insisted that there is no single correct approach to managing player relationships following criticism of Jose Mourinho's handling of Paul Pogba.

Manchester United boss Mourinho and his star midfielder shared a frosty exchange in training on Wednesday amid talk of a deepening rift between the pair.

The episode played out in full view of the assembled media and followed just a day after Mourinho confirmed that he had stripped Pogba of United's vice-captaincy.

Questions have been raised over the wisdom of airing such issues in public, but Pochettino believes that it is a complicated issue which requires case-by-case attention.

READ: Huddersfield takes priority over Barcelona for Spurs boss Pochettino

"There is not one solution. Nobody is going to teach you, it's not in a book. It's like in a game. Every single action needs a reaction [using] your intuition, experience," the Tottenham manager told a news conference.

"When something wrong happens in the dynamic of the group it's always about your experience, how you are going to manage. But, there's no clear way to behave."

"I think everything is different and you are going to react depending on your emotional state, whether you are in a good or a bad mood."

United, beaten on penalties by Derby County in the EFL Cup in midweek, return to Premier League duty with a trip to West Ham on Saturday. Tottenham head to Huddersfield Town seeking back-to-back league victories.

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