Soccer
Pochettino bites back at reporters during spiky post-match press conference
FIFA+: World Cup archive & programmes FREE on DAZN
Mauricio Pochettino came out with all guns blazing at his post-match press conference after the USA closed their Group D campaign with a last-gasp defeat to Turkey.
Having seen his side beat Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 to book their place in the World Cup knockout phase, Pochettino made nine changes to his starting XI for the clash in Los Angeles.
With the game seemingly destined to finish 2-2, Kaan Ayhan popped up in the eighth minute of stoppage time to grab the winner for Vincenzo Montella’s men.
The loss left Pochettino facing some tough questions from the assembled reporters after the game — but the former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss was in no mood to be diplomatic.
Annoyed by the press pack’s failure to acknowledge the USA topping their group, he snapped: “I’m happy. Maybe I’m not showing that because your questions are a little bit weird.
“But I’m happy, the players are happy because we are first.
“I’m confused… maybe the vibes are like we go home tonight and Turkey stays [in the World Cup], no?
“No one congratulated us for finishing first in a very difficult group. I congratulate the players, staff and fans.
“It cannot be possible that Turkey celebrates three points, Australia celebrates getting through, Paraguay celebrates getting through… for you to not say congratulations for winning the group, it’s a little bit sad.”
With Bosnia and Herzegovina up next in the round of 32, Pochettino attempted to shift the focus to what lies ahead.
He added: “We’re a much better team now than we were before. That will be put to the test next game.”
But with the media opting to continue the line of questioning about the defeat and whether it would derail his squad’s momentum, it came as little surprise that the Argentinian called an abrupt end to proceedings.
Before leaving, though, he expressed his relief at seeing Christian Pulisic back in action after a calf injury had forced him off at half-time against Paraguay.
‘Captain America’ entered the fray in the 58th minute against Turkey and wasted little time in showing what he brings to the party — much to his manager’s delight.
Poch, 54, said: “The objective was not just to win but to get Christian 30-40 minutes. He finished well and made an impact on the pitch.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina endured a mixed campaign in Group B, with a 1-1 draw against Canada, a 4-1 drubbing by Switzerland and a 3-1 win over Qatar.
Edin Dzeko and Co are not expected to cause the USA too many problems — but you can bet your bottom dollar that Pochettino will face another grilling if they do.
DAZN/FIFA
Watch World Cup archive, highlights and documentaries for FREE on DAZN
DAZN is the home of FIFA+, a vast library of football on-demand content including World Cup archive, iconic documentaries, player profiles, live matches and both full match replays and highlights.
Watch it all for FREE on DAZN on smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles and web browsers.
