Superstitious Pochettino keeps bowl of LEMONS to ‘soak up negativity’ at Spurs
MAURICIO POCHETTINO is busy preparing for the biggest game of his life by getting rid of all the negativity in a jiffy. The super-positive Spurs boss wants to ensure he is not bitter when his stars face Liverpool in next Saturday’s Champions League final. So he has continued to keep a bowl of LEMONS in […]
MAURICIO POCHETTINO is busy preparing for the biggest game of his life by getting rid of all the negativity in a jiffy.
The super-positive Spurs boss wants to ensure he is not bitter when his stars face Liverpool in next Saturday’s Champions League final.
So he has continued to keep a bowl of LEMONS in his office at the club’s Enfield training HQ in a bid to ensure the Kop boys do not pip him to European football’s top prize.
Pochettino told talkSPORT: “They are there to get rid of bad energy.
“My office, a lot of people come in and out, in and out, and not all the people who arrive at my office have good energy.
“Some people arrive with bad energy and that goes into the lemons. It’s like a barrier, a sponge. They take away all the negativity and you can see — it’s unbelievable because I change the lemons maybe every ten days.
“But sometimes every three or four days because the lemons become bad, ugly.”
Superstitious Poch admitted he has no idea who turns off the fruit in his office, before pointing a joking finger at his chairman Daniel Levy.
The Argentine said: “I cannot see the people who have this bad energy but when Daniel is not around I can leave them in the office for a month!”
Poch’s lemon aid may not be to the taste of every Spurs fan. But there is no doubting the improvements the former Southampton manager has made at the club since taking over five years ago. His high-tempo style of play has led to Tottenham reaching their first-ever Champions League final.
But he revealed his team’s energy is not just the result of work on the training ground.
Open-minded Poch said: “I think universal energy exists. The problem is if you are open to receive that energy.
Soaking up the negative energy makes ’em go bad quickly.
Mauricio Pochettino on his lemons
“Always it’s about having that belief some energy exists that is more powerful than us. And, of course, you need to be connected with this energy.
“Things happen for some reason and you need to find out why.
“You need to be connected and need to be in that energy and open enough to receive it.
“It’s not a thing where you say, ‘Oh, I believe in this energy and that I open my arms to receive this energy’.
“You must believe with your heart that it exists and then start to work it with your mind.
“I remember I was so young when I started to believe that something exists to help you. I was very young and always in my mind was to project what I wanted for the next day.
“My last thought before going to sleep at night was that tomorrow I wanted to do something all the way through to the universe and the constellation to make this happen.
“Maybe it was my strong mind that made it happen. But I think the energy exists.
“The most important thing is how you have the capacity to use that energy.”
When asked what issues he tried to improve with his positivity, Poch revealed: “Football, girls . . . it’s true. Also to make some people pay attention to you and your dreams. Many things.
“All you dream and expect in your life. If you project and you think and you have the conviction, you can create that.
When Daniel Levy’s not around, a bowl of lemons can last a month!
Mauricio Pochettino
“Of course it’s going to be some energy that is going to help you to achieve that.”
Pochettino has been working his players hard with intense training sessions ahead of facing Liverpool in Madrid.
Away from the pitch, he unwinds by watching all sorts of sports on TV.
He revealed: “I watched a bit of lacrosse the other day. It was amazing — I enjoyed it a lot.
“I remember my young son saying he played it at school in Southampton and I say, ‘What is that all about?’
“But now I have rediscovered it. I watch all sports — F1, tennis, rugby. I love sport.
“Darts, yes. The game I like, but it’s the atmosphere too. I wanted to go to watch recently but I was advised not to go as it would be difficult for me to enjoy.
“I don’t want to watch it in a box or VIP area, I want to watch it with the people to enjoy it. Maybe the solution is to go in fancy dress.”
But Poch ruled out the idea of travelling to watch the arrows at Alexandra Palace or the O2 by London Underground.
He explained: “I’ve used the Tube a few times but the last time was a Sunday at 5pm and I say this is the last time. It was impossible.
“People wanted pics and it was difficult, more for my family than me.”
GAME OF GROANS
And the final series of his favourite TV show, Game of Thrones, has done nothing to entertain him either as he builds up for the European showpiece.
Spurs boss Pochettino, 47, added: “I am so disappointed with the final episodes.
“It was an amazing series but the last season it was like, ‘We need to finish, how can we finish?’
LATEST TOTTENHAM NEWS
“It didn’t make sense! No common sense.
“I think all the people aren’t happy with the way it finished.”
Now it is down to his Spurs players to script him the perfect ending.
