Tottenham Boss Mauricio Pochettino Denies Any Rift With Danny Rose
Tottenham full-back Danny Rose is set to start for Mauricio Pochettino’s side against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
The English defender was left out of the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, but his manager is happy to bring him back into the fold to replace the German giants.
Rose criticized Spurs’ transfer and wage policy in an interview with The Sun in August, but after being left out last weekend, Pochettino was forced to deny any feud between the two.
The England international has had a tough time dislodging Ben Davies from the side since he returned from injury, and has such been linked with a move away from the club with Manchester United being reportedly interested.
But Pochettino says there are no problems between him and Rose, and is happy to include him in the Champions League clash if the player can prove his fitness.
"He's doing well," he said during a news conference. "The training session on Saturday was tough for him. He will now train with the group and we'll decide if he will play.
"I cannot speak about rumors. If you were to ask me if Danny Rose is here and do we have problems, I say no. No issues."
Spurs confirmed their place in the Champions League last 16 with their memorable 3-1 win over Real Madrid and will guarantee finishing top of the group if they beat Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
Mauricio Pochettino insists the defeat to Arsenal will not put a stopper in their momentum going forward, and even suggested the criticism of their performance at the Emirates could help the side going forward.
He also pointed out the performance of referee Mike Dean as a key factor that went in Arsenal's favor on Saturday, picking out the decision not to send of Granit Xhaka and the offside nature of Shkodran Mustafi’s goal.
"Our project is a medium to long-term one," he said. "Our project is to win. I am happy that people criticize us sometimes because it means people expect more from us. That is important to put the pressure on, more than we do.
"We are so calm. We know very well that, from two years and a half ago, we improve in every single aspect. Every team in the top six struggles against each other.
"When you lose, always you try to analyze and then try to improve what was wrong. It's true that there were many decisions in the game that were decisive. When you watch again, some actions like Xhaka on [Moussa] Sissoko and Dele Alli it should be Arsenal with 10 men. Sometimes you need luck to win.
"A year ago, we were in Monaco and we were out of the Champions League. In the Premier League, we've made the second-best start since 1992. We're very disappointed because [in] the last game, the expectation was different. But we need to move on."
Spurs face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday before returning to Premier League action on Saturday when they host struggling and managerless West Brom.
