Mauricio Pochettino believes modern football is too sanitised, censored and controlled, which is why the Tottenham manager will not condemn his players for their behaviour in last season's match at Chelsea, admitting everyone involved "behaved badly."

Tottenham return to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and Pochettino has admitted his players "crossed a line" and "lost their heads" in May's 'Battle of the Bridge' -- a bad-tempered 2-2 draw that ended Spurs' hopes of beating Leicester to the title. They finished the game with nine bookings -- a Premier League record -- and there were clashes during the match and at full-time.

The former Argentina centre-half says he would have liked to play in the game and some of his players, notably Eric Dier, relished the unrestrained physical battle. Pochettino, however, believes football, like life, is different now -- something he explained to Dier before Saturday's match.

"Life now is about what you are doing with your phone, the internet. You are not always free, you are in a box and football is same," said Pochettino on Thursday.

"I was just talking with Eric Dier in my office about how different football was 20 years ago, when I was a player. I used to watch the ball, and watch the opponent because maybe you can receive a punch or kick."

Pochettino's Spurs dished out off-the-ball punches and kicks at Stamford Bridge, and Mousa Dembele was given a retrospective six-match suspension after he was caught scratching Diego Costa's eye.

For the 44-year-old father-of-two, there is too much regulation in life and football but while he accepts it, he is worried about the impact on the next generation.

"There weren't too many cameras then to get suspended like now," Pochettino continued. "I felt more freedom [as a player] and there wasn't so much consequence. Today, in every action, you are in the spotlight.

"It's too difficult now to show your real emotion and you need to have more control and it's more difficult. Before you could make a lot of mistakes as a player because it wasn't the culture we have.

"It's not a shame. It's life today. It's a different era and we need accept that and control everything. We cannot behave with freedom. Today, there's too much control everywhere. Then psychological problems appear in our kids and it's difficult."

Spurs arrived at Stamford Bridge having not won there since 1990 and trailing Leicester by five points with three matches remaining -- needing to win to keep alive their hopes of a first league title since 1961.

Chelsea had nothing to play for but, before the match, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard said they wanted Leicester to win the league, despite facing the Foxes on the final day of the season.

"That was not the only problem, the provocation. For different reasons, we arrived at that game, in a very sensitive moment. We were very aggressive in all that was happening. We wanted to win that game, although maybe it would not change the title," Pochettino explained.

"We didn't lose the [title] against Chelsea -- it was before. West Brom, or at the beginning of the season, when we conceded a lot of draws. We cannot blame a game against one team."

Spurs led 2-0 at half-time after goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, but Chelsea scored twice in the second half.

"In that moment you get frustrated, disappointed, and maybe you pay by kicking someone," he continued. "You lose your cool. But I think the Chelsea players can understand. All players understand, too.

"It was a special moment, very special. Out of context, we can say 'why did Tottenham behave like this?' But with all the context, in that moment, I think it was normal.

"We always praise the Premier League because the teams playing for the top, playing for the bottom or playing for nothing are always honest, trying to win the games. In other leagues, sometimes you have some doubt."

The animosity between Tottenham and Chelsea is present in the boardroom and on the terraces but Pochettino is a football person and, for him, what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.

He recognises similar people at Chelsea and he has since spoken to Chelsea and England assistant manager Steve Holland.

"It was more apologising to each other -- we all behaved badly in that moment. Because we believed something about them, they believed something about us and in that moment there was too much stress.

"It was like: 'C'mon, we are football people and in the end it is about a battle on the pitch.' Sometimes we need to be a little bit more calm. That was a good conversation here at the training ground. I think we are football people and we can understand."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Dan Kilpatrick

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