We can’t afford any more distractions: Pochettino
TOTTENHAM Hotspur ended their miserable run of form in the Premier League in emphatic fashion on Saturday and Mauricio Pochettino admitted he is hoping for more of the same over the festive period, now that the club have a short break away from European competition.
For the first time Pochettino admitted that his team may have grown “distracted” by their European campaign, and that it may have been somewhat responsible for their struggles back home.
While Spurs unexpectedly topped their Champions League group ahead of defending champions Real Madrid, they have been poor in the Premier League and had picked up just two points in their previous four games prior to hammering Stoke 5-1.
Following a home draw with West Brom, Pochettino conceded that there was now zero chance of his side winning the title and insisted that their sole priority was to finish in the top four. This weekend he added that he now expects to see his team to rise up the table prior to their Champions League Round of 16 fixture, in mid-February.
“Yes, we spent a lot of energy in the Champions League and it was so tough to mix between that competition and the Premier League,” he said after the Stoke win, which saw Spurs close the gap on the top four to just one point.
“Last season when we were out of the Champions League we were able to focus on the Premier League, but this season the team wanted to show that we were strong in Europe, too. Maybe we were distracted about that.
“And for now we have only the Premier League and we need to be focused and try to win games, because we want to be in the top four. If something happens with the other teams and they drop position we need to be there, we need to keep winning games.”
The draw for the next stage of the Champions League takes place today. Spurs could find themselves handed a tough draw against either Bayern Munich or Juventus, who both finished as runners-up in their respective groups. Not that that worries Pochettino, who insisted he would relish the chance of playing one of Europe’s biggest teams for a place in the quarter-finals.
“Motivation is massive for these games and you could see that against Real Madrid,” Pochettino added. “I prefer to play against a team that will motivate everyone rather than a team everybody says you should beat easily. That is when it gets complicated.
“We would love to play against a big team and we always give that little bit extra that you need.”
Meanwhile, Stoke manager Mark Hughes could only dream of managing his side in Europe, after watching his players capitulate to yet another heavy defeat against one of the top six.
Stoke had already lost 4-0 to Chelsea and 7-2 to Manchester City, and completely collapsed in the second half after keeping things relatively tight in the first.
The 5-1 defeat marked the first time in Premier League history that a team had lost by four goals or more to a side four times in a row.
“We thought the low point was when we went to Manchester City, but we’ve got to understand sometimes in games the momentum shifts totally to the opposition,” he said.
“We have to have the nous and the knowledge to understand what you need to do in those situations.
“At times we don’t do the correct things and just caused the situation to develop even more fully against us. We’ve got to be more streetwise at times.
“Sometimes we try to play in areas where teams are going to press you and recognise when those moments are coming and the momentum shifts. That’s about football intelligence and understanding the game.”