'Winning the Premier League is the truest test'
Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino has said that the FA Cup will not define Spurs as winners - only the Premier League will.
Tottenham take on fellow Premier League outfit Swansea City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday and is the London club's last remaining hope of silverware this season.
Despite its importance, Pochettino believes luck can play a significant part in winning a cup competition, while securing the league is the true measure of a team.
The Argentine argued in his pre-match press conference: "The Premier League or La Liga or the Bundesliga or the 'Calcio' (Serie A), not only [do] you need luck — you need to deserve to win this type of title".
"Then there are short competitions, like in the World Cup. When Argentina arrived in Japan, I think we were first in the FIFA classifications but we didn't arrive in the best form and were out in the group stage. You need luck.
"To win the Premier League is different. I don't know if who wins the titles like FA Cup or Capital Cup is the best team. The Premier League is the true test because you need the whole squad to be involved then the competition is 38 games, 10 months.
"Capital One, Copa del Rey, FA Cup… they are very short periods and sometimes it is a coincidence, maybe you have some players not in good form, you compete and you are out.
He concluded: "It's completely different. There are competitions that if you win, fantastic. But if you don't win, nothing changes."
This isn't the first time that Pochettino has downplayed the FA Cup's importance, although with Spurs so far off Manchester City in the league, their fans will undoubtedly want the players to lift the cup's trophy in May.