Spurs boss: Squad men must take responsibility against Wycombe - but Vincent Janssen will be given time

Vincent Janssen EMPICS Sport

Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham’s squad men must shoulder the responsibility of overcoming League Two side Wycombe Wanderers in Saturday’s FA Cup tie if they want to have long-term futures at the club.

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But the Spurs manager has assured striker Vincent Janssen that he will have further opportunities to prove himself and that there is “no doubt about him”.

With a Premier League trip to Sunderland on the horizon on Tuesday, and five first-team players out of action due to injury, Pochettino is expected to field a second-string side against Wycombe in the fourth round of the cup at White Hart Lane this weekend.

But the Argentinian is adamant his selection will not provide an excuse for failure, and that he wants to progress in the tournament.

“When you are involved in three competitions and you have 25 players, it is important now in this type of game to give some responsibility to the players who are not too much involved in the Premier League or Europa League,” said Pochettino. “But that does not mean the FA Cup is not an objective.

“For me the FA Cup must be an objective, we need to try to [get] as far as possible. It’s not an excuse. Saturday is not an excuse.

“Every time that Tottenham plays, whether you are involved too much or not too much, always you need to give your best and show your quality. If you want to be long-term at Tottenham, and deserve to wear the shirt, it’s a great opportunity to show it on Saturday. It’s not an excuse, to play one or another player.”

Saturday’s game looks particularly important for summer signing Janssen, who has so far failed to score from open play for Tottenham and was substituted after an hour when the Lilywhites hosted Championship side Aston Villa in the third round of the cup.

The 22-year-old has since been omitted from the last two matchday squads in the Premier League and badly needs a boost of confidence – but Pochettino does not want the Dutchman to feel any extra pressure against Wycombe.

“For me it is not an issue that Janssen is not in his best moment,” said the manager. “He’s young, it’s his first season. I think there are a lot of rumours. We have a lot of chats with him.

“It’s normal. It’s all new for him and now he needs to be relaxed, train hard, try to improve and, when he has the opportunity to play, show his quality - but it is not an issue.

“We will see what happens on Saturday. The most important thing is we believe in him and trust in him. It’s not that in the last few months he has struggled a little bit to perform well and it has created doubt in us.

“If he has the possibility to play, I think he is ready to give his best. If not, he needs to wait on the bench for another opportunity, but there’s no doubt about him.”

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