Mauricio Pochettino says the Premier League and Champions League are Tottenham's priority

Mauricio Pochettino insists winning the FA Cup or Carabao Cup would not be enough for Tottenham this season.

Spurs have made an impressive start to the domestic campaign, having lost just once in the league, while Pochettino's side sit top of their Group H in Europe - above defending champions Real Madrid.

However, the Argentine is yet to win a single piece of silverware at Spurs, whose last major honour came back in 2008 following a League Cup final win over London rivals Chelsea.

Tottenham host West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports Football, but Pochettino admits he could rest a number of key players at Wembley.

"Our objective is to win the Premier League, to win the Champions League," he said.

"And then there is the FA Cup, of course, I would like to win and I would like to win the Carabao Cup, but if you want to be a big team and fight for big things, I think it is impossible if you don't use all the squad and rotate in England."

Pochettino added: "The manager always wants to win. To win the Carabao Cup? Yes, of course, but it would not change the life of Tottenham.

"The FA Cup? Fantastic, I would love to win all the competitions in the world but it really changes your life if you win the Premier League or the Champions League. That is the truth."

Danny Rose could make his first start for Tottenham in almost nine months against the Hammers, after a making a late substitute appearance in the 1-1 draw with Real Madrid last week.

When asked at his pre-match press conference if Rose could start on Wednesday, Pochettino said: "Yes, we need to wait until tomorrow. But in my head maybe there is a possibility for him to start the game tomorrow, yes."

Brandon Jacobs: Jim Harbaugh knows nothing about football

 

Brandon Jacobs won't be sending Jim Harbaugh a Christmas card any time soon.

The former Giants running back played just one season for Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012, but the lone season didn't leave Jacobs with a lasting impression.

"Jim, I had a lot of respect for Jim when I was there — before I got to know him," Jacobs said on CBS Sports Radio. "I enjoyed my time there, but we didn't see eye-to-eye. I knew a little bit more about football than what they led on."

Jacobs and Harbaugh probably never met eye-to-eye because Jacobs practically did nothing to contribute during his lone season in San Francisco. After missing the first two months of the season with a knee injury, Jacobs played sparingly where had just five carries for seven yards in two games for the 49ers. He was then suspended for bashing the team on Instagram and released before the postseason.

The 49ers went 11-4-1 and lost in the Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-31. But despite the team's immensely successful season, Jacobs said that Harbaugh had no clue what he was really doing.

"Going somewhere where they don't have route conversions into certain coverages was just absurd," said Jacobs, who won two Super Bowls with the Giants. "They're just running routes in the defense, getting people killed. Size and strength is what they had, and that's why they won. Let's be real. They had great assistant coaches, but Jim didn't know what he was doing. Jim had no idea. Jim is throwing slants into Cover-2 safeties, getting people hurt. That guy knew nothing, man."

Harbaugh has been successful everywhere he's stopped in his coaching career. His first head coaching position was with the University of San Diego, where he led the Toreros to back-to-back eleven win seasons in 2005-2006. Harbaugh then had a revelatory three-year stint at Stanford University where he made a program not known for its football team into a Pac-12 title contender.

After his stop with the 49ers, which included two NFC Championship game trips and that Super Bowl run, Harbaugh returned to the college ranks to coach his alma mater Michigan. The Wolverines are 20-6 in his first two seasons.