Pochettino: player power a problem

Pochettino's Spurs side have a home match against Chelsea on Sunday and the visitors will be without striker Diego Costa, after the Spanish international has refused to return to his club in order to try and force through a move to Atletico Madrid. 

At Friday's pre-match news conference, Antonio Conte started laughing when asked about his wantaway striker. 

However, his counterpart Pochettino does not think it is a laughing matter, saying no individual should be more important than the club. 

"In ­general I think there is a ­problem," he said. "The most important [thing] is always the club, and then, of course, our fans. Then come the players, the manager, and the coaching staff.

"It's very dangerous for every club if the players feel that they are more important than the club and the fans and are on a superior level.

"But I don't feel that. Maybe I am lucky because in Espanyol, in Southampton, or here in Tottenham, I think the balance is very good.

"At the end of the day you need to have good players. But the level of the players, the attitude, how they are, how they behave, is so important."