Mauricio Pochettino has explained his decision to take Serge Aurier off just 12 minutes into the second half of Tottenham’s Champions League clash with APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday night.
Spurs were 1-0 up when Pochettino decided to make his first change, and Aurier looked a bit surprised to be substituted.
The right-back isn’t needed for Saturday’s trip to Huddersfield – he is suspended following his red card at West Ham last weekend – so it clearly was nothing to do with fitness.
“I wanted to change the system,” Pochettino explained after the game. “I didn’t think we were playing well in that moment.
“It was good to change, but not because I wasn’t happy with Aurier. You change the system and you need to allow someone to go.”
Harry Redknapp’s suggested Aurier was “all over the place” during the game.
It’s worth remembering the former Paris Saint-Germain defender didn’t have a pre-season with the club, so it may take some time for him to get used to Pochettino’s system.
