LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino has challenged the notion that Tottenham Hotspur need to win a trophy soon, insisting that winning one of the domestic cups would change nothing at the club.
Harry Kane has said there will always be doubts about Pochettino's Tottenham until they win something and the manager's detractors have argued that he needs a smaller piece of silverware, like the Carabao Cup, to have something to show for the club's progress and prepare the players for bigger prizes.
But Pochettino, who has said Spurs are too big a club to focus on winning the domestic cups, does not think anything would change if they win the Carabao Cup or FA Cup this season, even if he would like to do so.
The Spurs manager will rotate the squad for Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round match against West Ham, and he said: "Our objective is to win the Premier League and our objective is to try to win the Champions League -- for me, the two real trophies. And then the FA Cup, of course, I would like to win it, and I would like to win the Carabao Cup.
"But if you want to be a big team, if you want to fight for big things, I think it's impossible if you don't use all the squad and rotate in England. It's impossible.
"You [the media] can criticise me, and people can criticise our performance, but the manager always wants to win. And of course, to win the Carabao Cup will not change the life of Tottenham.
"To win the FA Cup is fantastic -- I would love to win the oldest competition in the world -- but it really changes your life if you win the Premier League or Champions League. That is the truth. And after, if someone wants to manipulate my words, OK, go on, but that is the truth."
Among the squad players expected to start against the Hammers at Wembley is Juan Foyth, the 19-year-old centre-back signed from Estudiantes in the summer. Foyth's only appearance so far came in the third-round against Barnsley but physically imposing West Ham forward Andy Carroll is likely to provide a sterner test.
Harry Winks' first start of the season also came against Barnsley but a week ago he held his own against Real Madrid, and Pochettino urged Foyth to prove that he too is ready for bigger challenges.
"Juan is the same height as Toby [Alderweireld], Jan [Vertonghen] and Davinson [Sanchez]," he said. "I played when I was 17 or 18 against a massive striker and I'm smaller than Juan. Come on! You need to show! He's at Tottenham, he's a Tottenham player. He needs to fight and prove himself that he can compete in this type of game."
Pochettino, who added that he preferred to play against big strikers because small ones were "difficult to catch," said: "A month-and-a-half ago, no one would have believed me if I told you that we're going to play at the Santiago Bernabeu with [Moussa] Sissoko, Harry Winks and Christian Eriksen in midfield.
You'd say, 'The gaffer will be crazy!' Because we are going to play against [Toni] Kroos, [Luka] Modric, Casemiro, Isco.
"Foyth is young but he needs to show why he is here. You will only know if he is ready to play if he plays. Maybe in the future, some players are suspended or maybe we have some injuries, and we'll play with him, and maybe he will be decisive. It was the same with Michel Vorm, when Hugo [Lloris] was injured. That is the most important to keep all the squad believing and playing and make everyone competitive."
Vorm, the backup goalkeeper, will also start against the Hammers in what will be his 32nd appearance in over three years at the club.
Pochettino said the former Netherlands international is a model professional and has never complained, saying it makes it harder to consistently overlook him.
"He complains with his performances in the training sessions. That's his way to complain, to show me he deserves to play. That is the way to complain to the manager and not knock on the door," Pochettino said.
"It's a massive problem for us when a player doesn't complain, trains hard and shows great quality. They create more problems than those who complain who aren't doing their job. That's easy.
"When people complain, but if they aren't good enough on the pitch or training session and there's no commitment to the club or you, then that's easy to say, 'You are out!'
"He is professional. They fight and show great quality and that's my problem. Players like Vorm, it's difficult to say, 'We are playing you and not you.'"