Speaking ahead of Monday's flight to Munich for the Audi Cup, in which Spurs face Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich or Feberbahce inside 24 hours, Pochettino opened up on his search for answers to last month's defeat during one of the toughest summers of his life.
"It was very bad," said the Argentine. "I compare with summer 2002, when we drew with Sweden and were beaten by England in the group stage at World Cup, within one week. As a player and as a manager both are the worst moments in my career.
"We had the most unbelievable three weeks to prepare before the Final. [We were] massively disappointed in the way we lost. Then you need to go home. I took a train from Madrid to Barcelona the day after. I spent 10 days in my home and didn’t want to go out. Yes, it was tough because you nearly touched the glory.
"All the effort we made to get to the final was unbelievable but you want to win and when you don’t it's massive because you know how tough it is to get there again next season, to start to find the energy to try to win – that is why it is difficult to recover."
"I talked to Jesus [Perez, assistant manager] every day to try to find the reason," Pochettino continued. "Always you try to analyse but in the end it’s small details that make the difference. I thought we were better than Liverpool. It wasn’t a great final.
"My family tried to lift me but they were in the same situation as me. After a few days, I tried to go to play golf [at the driving range]. I was focused with my son to try and [hit] the ball perfectly but it was impossible. Then I start to move on.
"The people that appreciated our job also helped. In Spain, English fans in restaurants in Madrid, also in Ibiza, people from Liverpool, people from Tottenham, different football people said, ‘Oh fantastic Tottenham’. That started to build happiness again because people recognised our job was fantastic."
Spurs reached a maiden European Cup final despite making no signings for the prior two transfer windows and spending a fraction on the first-team in comparison to the likes of Emirates Marketing Project, who they beat in the quarter-final.
Liverpool splashed over £100million on new signings after their defeat in the 2018 Final and it was suggested during last week's trip to Asia that the Merseyside club should act as an inspiration to Spurs. Pochettino rejected that notion and said Spurs have proved that spending big was not the only route to success.
"When you analyse from 2014, when we arrived at Tottenham, the net investment of all the teams," he said. "It’s not that City [started spending] when Guardiola arrived, or Liverpool when Klopp arrived, or Chelsea when Conte or Sarri arrived, or Manchester United when Mourinho or now Solskjaer arrived.
"It’s in their history – in the last 10 years – all the money they were spending to arrive here. For us, we are far away from that. It’s not fair to compare and say Liverpool is going to be an inspiration for us. No! It’s the opposite.
"Tottenham is an inspiration for the rest of teams in Premier League or in England because with less in everything you can fight. The most important is that culture, that philosophy we create all together in the club in the last five years. Maybe in the end we can get or not [get] a trophy but we are very close. We are so competitive with less we are doing a lot more than our rivals.
"I think we proved a different way to operate – we achieved the final of Champions League fighting with big clubs."
Harry Kane has said he may never be able to fully get over the defeat but Pochettino insisted he had now moved on and said it was not hard to lift his players at the start of pre-season, in part because Spurs have a brand new kit.
"When you start a new season [it is a] new kit, new everything. It's good because it changes. When you see a picture from the past it always goes quick. Now all is new, new colour and of course new motivation.
"The good thing is that winners move on quickly. Maybe 10 days like me, or 15. When it’s holidays it’s worse because it’s like every day you are thinking the same but when you start to rain and run you move on and put the bad things in the past.
"We are a winner. We are so competitive. In your mind maybe you feel lack of energy but the fight is always there," he added. "The moment you move on the fire inside starts to appear again.
"We love to compete and to win and now the final is in the past. I think my motivation is always high. I am professional, we love our job. I think it’s a big responsibility with a club that has confidence and trusts in you. Of course I try to fight a lot for our fans and club."
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/fo...ery-but-insists-winners-move-on-a4199971.html
