Pochettino calls for trust in officials after referee switch
REUTERS - Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has urged for trust to be placed in match officials after Leicester City fan Kevin Friend was replaced as the referee for Spurs' Premier League clash with Stoke City on Monday.
Neil Swarbrick will referee the fixture as second-placed Spurs, who are chasing a first league title since 1961, look to close the seven-point gap on leaders Leicester with five games left.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had said the Premier League was setting a dangerous precedent by replacing the referee and Pochettino agreed with his north London counterpart.
"We never complained and I want to say that we trust the referee. It wasn't our decision. I think we need to trust and I trust in all the referees. The decision is maybe difficult to understand," Pochettino told reporters on Friday.
"If Kevin, on Monday, will be the referee I would be happy. It's not a problem. It's difficult for me because I don't manage very well the language, and I can make a mistake about this. But on some point I agree with Arsene."
Defender Toby Alderweireld has been a key component of the meanest defence in the league, conceding just 25 goals in 33 games, but was overlooked for the PFA Player of the Year award.
With Leicester City trio Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, Arsenal's Mesut Ozil, Spurs striker Harry Kane and West Ham United's Dimitri Payet making the shortlist, Pochettino suggested that preference had been given to attacking players.
"I am not involved in the selection of the nominations but there is not a defensive player on the list... He does not need to be recognised by the player award to feel happy," the Argentine said.
"Football is to score goals but for us the keeper and the defensive line are in the same level of importance."
Despite having a relatively young squad, Pochettino feels Spurs' experience has been underestimated this campaign.
"I think the balance is perfect. Sometimes I don't like too much when you say 'young, hungry squad' because we have players with lots of experience, but young too. This is the perfect balance to fight for different things," Pochettino said.
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)