Tottenham boss Mauirico Pochettino handled his side “like a rookie manager” in their Champions League final defeat against Liverpool, according to former Republic of Ireland international Tony Cascarino.
Spurs lost 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in a low-intensity encounter that saw both sides arguably well below the best they have shown this season.
Mohamed Salah’s second-minute penalty gave the Merseyside outfit an early advantage and despite sparking to life in the final quarter, Tottenham were unable to find a way back in, with Divock Origi’s late strike effectively ending their hopes.
It was a disappointing end to an otherwise remarkable European campaign that saw Pochettino guide his side past heavyweights such as Manchester City and Ajax, often missing key players.
The Argentine’s decision to recall the previously injured Harry Kane to the starting line-up at the expense of semi-final hat-trick hero Lucas Moura raised some eyebrows, and the England skipper was mostly ineffective up front for the duration.
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Chelsea man Cascarino stated that he felt Pochettino let his side down with such decisions, in what was unquestionably the biggest game of his reign at the club
“Kane, [Harry] Winks and [Kieran] Trippier were three names I had written down yesterday morning,” the 56-year-old stated.
“Kane, I just didn’t get it at all. Football is littered with some clubs, and internationally, that select players who have been injured and I don’t like it.
“I think it is silly because you cannot prepare a player for a match, especially of this magnitude.
“I felt Poch really managed his team like a rookie manager. [He] got it wrong last night."
Cascarino continued: “It’s hard to criticise a guy who has done so brilliantly for a football club and like we chatted earlier about the finances of the club, being competitive, it has been exceptional.
“Poch had all the decisions to make in this game and not Klopp, as we knew how they played and their personnel, we knew that.
“I think his team lack experience because he is always wanting to improve players. Poch has always gone for that.
“He wants to get a player in and make them better. He’s done that and that’s fine but you are missing that in the final.”
