Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has blasted his former club for taking part in the Audi Cup just days before the start of the new Premier League season.

Mauricio Pochettino's men are involved in the tournament, hosted by Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, and featuring the hosts, Real Madrid and AC Milan.




It comes just days before Spurs are due to take on Manchester United in their first game of the new Premier League season and Redknapp is baffled by his former club's move.

Redknapp wrote on social network Kicca: "I find it very strange Tottenham are playing two games in Munich in this pre-season tournament just days away from the start of the season. If I was manager I wouldn’t be happy with that.
 

 

"I’d think they’d play two different teams in Munich but away at Manchester United is a tough start for Spurs, I hope they can get a result, but it think it’s going to be a difficult game. If they can get a point at United they’d be delighted", Redknapp, who was most recently in charge of QPR, continued.

relatedNewsStory

"But do you want games midweek before you play on a Saturday? The last thing you want is a match on a Wednesday night before the season starts on Saturday. But they’re decisions now made now by non-footballing people and taken out of the manager’s hands."

And Redknapp has warned that Spurs' chances of earning a good result against Louis van Gaal's Manchester United side, who are back on UK soil following their pre-season trip to the United States, could be affected.

"It can affect the result, of course it can. Two games in the week before you play on the Saturday, it’s far from ideal – definitely not the best preparation.

"Let’s hope it doesn’t affect them, let’s hope they get a result, I’d love to see them win on Saturday at Man Utd but it’s not an ideal way to prepare. Mauricio Pochettino will play two different teams but it’s still not what you want, you want to be on your training ground ironing out a few bits and pieces and focusing on who you’re going to play on Saturday."

Redknapp believes that in general sides are being dictated to by making money when it comes to plotting their pre-season activities.

The veteran manager admits that for players heading to all corners of the world can be an interesting experience, but he feels the trips are only in place to generate money ahead of everything else.

"It just shows that now the people running clubs aren’t footballing people. The footballing people don’t’ decide where they go anymore, they’re told where they go by the moneymen.

"They get told ‘we’re going to Malaysia, we’re going to Hong Kong, we’re going to China’ it’s a global game now, the whole world is watching the Premier League and the money in these places is fantastic for pre-season trip.

"To be fair it’s quite interesting for the players, it’s good to go to these places like China. I always found it very interesting when we went to these places with Tottenham and Portsmouth.

"But that’s what it is these days, it’s not about preparing and getting yourself ready for the season. It’s about ‘yes, there are two games in Munich and we get £2 million quid’ or whatever it is."

Spurs take on Real Madrid later today at the Allianz Arena. They then face a second match against either Bayern Munich or AC Milan.