Former Arsenal and Chelsea Star Piles Pressure on Mauricio Pochettino Ahead of North London Derby

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has warned that Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino needs to win a trophy soon, or else he may have to leave the club.

Pochettino has forged a reputation as one of the world's finest managers since joining the club in 2014, but he is yet to win a trophy. Defeat to Chelsea left the club nine points behind leaders Liverpool, and a loss to Arsenal in Saturday's north London derby would see the Gunners move just one point behind Tottenham in the race for a top four finish.

Speaking exclusively to Paddy Power, Petit insisted that Pochettino may need to move on if he cannot achieve success with ​Tottenham

He said: “A lot of questions have been asked about Mauricio Pochettino's future. For everything he has achieved at Spurs, he needs to win the title or some major silverware - they need something to reward the work he's done.If nothing happens in that regard by the end of the season, it will be very difficult to motivate the same group of players.

"It could be end of something - maybe that's the manager leaving the club or several new players coming into the squad.

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"I'm a big fan of Pochettino - the way he manages and the way his teams play - and he could be the Arsene Wenger of Spurs. But if he's thinking about a new challenge, he knows the rumours about ​Real Madrid and ​Manchester​ United and that one day he may end managing a club that size. If he wins something this season, however, maybe that will be the turning point for him.”

Finally, Petit offered his prediction for Saturday's match, stating that Tottenham will be desperate for a victory. 

He said: "The team is going through a difficult time, having lost five of their last 10 matches, but people have been saying for months - maybe even years - that although they have a quality squad, as soon as they begin to get injuries, they're in trouble.

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"Some players have continued to play week after week, and they look tired. Against ​Chelsea I barely recognised ​Christian Eriksen or ​Son Heung-min - normally those players make the difference on the pitch but on Wednesday they appeared to be tired and lacking in imagination. No gasoline, nothing at all. But I expect a reaction. 

"Tottenham need a victory if they're to get their league campaign back on track. Even the gap to Manchester United is closing now. No other result will do: they need a win."


Source : 90min