Poch: Spurs must stick together to tame poor form
TOTTENHAM Hotspur’s unsettled squad must make up for time lost in preseason and build togetherness to arrest a slump in form, manager Mauricio Pochettino said after the London side crashed out of the League Cup on Tuesday.
Tottenham, runner-up to Liverpool in the Champions League last season, lost 3-4 on penalties to League Two (fourth-tier) Colchester United following a 1-2 loss to Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Pochettino’s team was beaten after being held to a goalless draw by a club 71 places below it, with Christian Eriksen and Lucas Moura both missing during the shootout.
“We need time again to build that togetherness that you need when you’re competing at this level,” Pochettino, who is yet to win a trophy at Tottenham since joining in 2014, told reporters.
Pochettino had endured a testing preseason in which Danish playmaker Eriksen was linked by the Spanish media with a switch to Real Madrid, while two losses in six league games have only added to the Argentine’s troubles.
“When you have an unsettled squad always it’s difficult and you lose time. You need time to recover the time you lose,” Pochettino added.
“That’s where we are. Maybe our performances are good but you need this extra, which is mental, connection. It’s energy to be together, not to have different agendas in the squad.”
Tottenham hosts Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday and Pochettino said his players had to stay calm to get back to winning ways.
“We are in a period where it’s a bit tough for us but we keep working to find a solution. When this type of thing happens it’s about staying clear, fresh and calm. We’re trying to find solutions and we only need time.”
Colchester beat another Premier League team Crystal Palace in the previous round before handing Tottenham its most humiliating loss under Pochettino, who played a weakened team that still featured established internationals like Dele Alli and Davinson Sanchez.
There were no shocks elsewhere in the third round for top-flight teams, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Leicester among those racking up big wins.
(Agencies)