Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has indicated that he will not place high importance on the EFL Cup as he feels Spurs should be building towards winning the Premier League and Champions League.
Spurs have not yet won a trophy under Pochettino despite the Argentine's stellar work at the north London club and many have identified the EFL Cup as a potential piece of silverware for the side.
But the Tottenham manager says that his project at the club is to win the league or the Champions League and putting extra emphasis on either the EFL Cup or the FA Cup would be a "big mistake".
Pochettino was asked at a press conference ahead of his side's tie against Barnsley whether Spurs are under pressure to win a domestic cup this term.
And he replied: "The project here at Tottenham is to try to win the Premier League or the Champions League. For me, that is the two big trophies.
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"OK, I would love to win the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup for our fans.
"But Tottenham must build a project with the possibility to fight for Champions League or Premier League.
"Sorry, first of all the Premier League and then the Champions League", he stressed.
"If we are going to try to win Carabao Cup or FA Cup, and forget the Premier League or Champions, it’s a big mistake."
And Pochettino believes that winning domestic cup competitions is not something that the biggest clubs in the country are aiming for, with the Argentine indicating it can give a false impression of a side's current status.
"I think, what it means for a big team to win trophies, is to win the Premier League or Champions League.
"There are a lot of examples: in my second season at Southampton, Wigan won FA Cup. Where is Wigan today, with all my respect? League One.
"Look, that is the most important example. Of course, I would like to win trophies but first of all we’ll fight for the Premier League or the Champions League."
Spurs will host Barnsley at Wembley, with the side's record at the ground still mixed; Pochettino's side were held to a 0-0 draw at the national stadium at the weekend by Swansea City.
