AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementThen comes his much-anticipated World Cup announcement in late May. “It's true that now we are close to the World Cup,” Pochettino said Thursday on a video call with reporters. Even if absent, though, he would remain high on the list for a World Cup slot. “We'll see how he's going to come back and start to play and to perform,” Pochettino said of Pepi, who is among several strikers vying for probably three World Cup slots. (Photo by Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) (Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF via Getty Images)No matter who is in camp in March, Pochettino wants his team to begin pivoting toward the World Cup.