Tottenham Hotspur manager Ryan Mason admitted his club is four or five years behind Manchester City after his dream of ending his club’s long championship fast evaporated with a loss to Pep Guardiola’s side in Sunday’s League Cup final.
Defender Emeric Laporte scored the only goal of the game near the end as City won 1-0 and Tottenham remained without a title since 2008.
The city was the better team and was able to score on more than one occasion, but missed chances amidst Tottenham’s modest performance, which had only two attempts on goal compared to 21 for their opponents, the Premier League leaders.
“I think City are four or five years ahead of us,” said Mason, the former Tottenham midfielder who took charge until the end of the season after Jose Mourinho was sacked Monday.
“It’s about having a coach for a long time, and he has been working in a specific way for a long time,” he added.
He continued, “Looking ahead, my thought, and I’m sure, is the thought of every person at Tottenham, that we have to be brave and try to control the games in this way. It takes time.”
Mason (29) does not have much experience in the world of coaching, and he has held his position after working in the junior sector at the London club, and it is unlikely that he will continue in his position after the current season.
Tottenham is seventh in the league with seven rounds to go, five points behind Chelsea, and fourth and last to qualify for the Champions League next season.
