No. But bantz.
The inportance of the FA Cup or Carling Cup changes depending on who you are talking about. For Pochettino it's supposed to be this golden stamp of quality (and conveniently so). For Wenger, Mourinho, Conte... The goalposts get changed.
United fans speak of the Carling Cup win in 2006 that supposedly set up the next few years, but for what other team has that happened?
The Cups have risen massively in stock over the last 5-10 years - a club like Spurs are certainly in no position to overlook them. And the point you make about shifting goalpost has a clear distinction: the managers you mention are all PL winners, accepted with stripes and rank. For them, the Cups are a bonus or an addition to the CV. Pochettino has nothing like the regard they have and has shown no capability of winning anything to fall back on. Nobody really expects him to win the league at Spurs, but they really should be going hell for leather in any Cup they can contest. If, ultimately, that ends in failure, OK, but Spurs do not have the profile to simply overlook any trophy.
Chelsea under Mourinho hailed the Carling Cup win as the catalyst which told them they were winners and could go on to seek more of the same. It mightn't have been the be all of their season, but it gave them a taste of success, the occasion and the adulation, and from there, they were insatiable. City also wanted as many trophies in the cabinet as possible and celebrated like any team who have won no cups in decades should. They started waffling on about going for 'quads' from their such was their belief that they could now conquer 'the world'.
If the issues with Spurs and their roadblock is psychological, then winning a Cup is going to be absolutely huge for them. Chasing top 4, just to be in the CL, to then be out of the CL whilst not contesting the Cups again is just bizarre. How players who could be at perennial trophy-chasing clubs would react to that loop over a concerted period of time, well, nobody could be surprised if that alone is enough for them to want out. Just being in the CL as an also-ran is not as pacifying as having domestic Cups and medals and the memories that come along with it for any but the most elite of players who have their eyes on their league's title and the CL almost exclusively.
I don't see that. If someone offered Pochettino the chance to win a trophy, he would snap their hands off. He obviously wants to win trophies, but it isn't the be all, end all at Tottenham. He will be judged on getting Champions League football year after year because that brings in the money.
This is the downside of working under a frugal boss. Spurs have to be realistic and that means doing well in the Premier League and Champions League. Everything else is ephemeral. It does put into perspective Wenger's last decade at Arsenal because this was a manager who was super competitive until their stadium move. And when you balance the books, you lose all perspective of what is important in the game: trophies.
I'm sure if Pochettino had bigger resources and the pressure to win trophies was greater, he may flourish. He may wilt but we'll never know until he leaves Spurs. What is undeniable is he has a knack for improving players and their resale value.
Spurs would make a small fortune off an FA Cup win and have a massive rise in their profile, to boot! How much merchandise would they sell? Glaston goes on about their global fanbase, too - how much money is there in memorabilia for a club who haven't won anything in over a decade? Perhaps if they won something, they could afford to bypass the Cups, but at the moment it just seems foolhardy and a hiding to nothing. I'm not saying they should or can be without the CL, but at the moment, it taking precedence over a chance to progress in a Cup is a demoralising course of action. All these players now have is a desperate pursuit of the top 4 place and a pressurised run of even that if they don't get out of this slump sharpish.
It can't be good for morale to have this be your season time and time again.
Injuries shouldn't be an excuse. Palace are probably the worst home team in the league. They have 2 wins this season and are currently sitting at the bottom of the league...
Despite the injuries Spurs should still be favorites.
This is what bothered me today. The side Spurs put out was par with Palace, yet nobody is mentioning that, instead just focusing on the players they left out. I found it quite poor that the side they put out were so easily beaten. It raises more questions than answers, for me.
