Lucas Moura Reveals How He Reacted to Being Dropped for Champions League Final
Lucas Moura has admitted he still holds huge respect for manager Mauricio Pochettino - even after the Argentine dropped him in for the Champions League final in June.
A second half hat-trick from the forward saw Tottenham fight back from 3-0 down on aggregate and topple Ajax in the semi finals of the competition in May. However, Moura's tie-winning performance was deemed not enough for a place in the starting team to face Liverpool in Madrid, a match Spurs lost 2-0.
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Harry Kane was controversially selected in favour of the Brazilian, with many Lillywhites supporters warning Pochettino against such a move given the England international's lack of fitness. The 26-year-old had been out injured since 9 April, yet still got the nod ahead of Moura.
Discussing how he learned of his manager's choice, Moura told the Guardian: "He didn’t speak with me, he didn’t explain anything, but it’s normal.
"He chose and I need to respect. I needed to be ready to come on and play. To be honest, in the hotel when he gave the starting XI, I was a little bit sad. Of course, I would like to play but the most important thing was to win the game.
"The coach needs to choose 11 players, he can only choose 11 players and we need to respect. I don’t have a problem with this.
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"Of course, I was sad inside. I want to play. But I know how to understand, I know how to respect and I know how difficult it is for him to choose 11 players. So that’s football. We need to be professional and keep working."
Liverpool's victory - coming courtesy of a Mohamed Salah penalty and a late Divock Origi finish - ensured a sixth European Cup for the Reds, whilst Spurs are haven't won a major piece of silverware since the League Cup in 2008.
