Pochettino: We’re getting closer to glory

TOTTENHAM’S eight wins in a row did not deter Mauricio Pochettino from piling all the pressure on Antonio Conte ahead of their FA Cup semi-final.

Chelsea have lost two of the last four and are showing the first glimpse of any vulnerability since Conte took them storming clear at the top of the Premier League.

Spurs have trimmed the gap to four points and can strike a psychological blow in the title race if they beat their London rivals at Wembley tomorrow.

But Pochettino said: ‘If there’s a favourite it is Chelsea. They are more experienced. We are talking about a team who has won European competitions in the last five years.

‘They are top of the Premier League, with players who won the World Cup and a great manager who has won the title in Italy.

‘Our players have won nothing — or maybe some titles — but we are in a good moment. We are hungry, and to challenge this team is important for Tottenham.

‘We will see, it is important to enjoy the game. We must feel the happiness. It is a very important competition and we are fighting the best team in England.’

Spurs, eight times winners of the FA Cup, have not reached the final of the competition since 1991 but the progress under Pochettino is clear, finishing third in the Premier League last season.

‘We are showing we learned from last season,’ said Pochettino. ‘With six to play, we have 71 points when last season we finished with 70.

‘But if you are very close to winning the league or the FA Cup, that’s the most difficult step to achieve. We are in different part of the process to Chelsea.’

It is almost three years since Pochettino arrived from Southampton and, during his first season, Spurs were beaten by Chelsea in the League Cup final.

‘When we signed it was all about how we can reduce the gap with the top four,’ he said. ‘Not only have we reduced the gap but we are fighting to win titles.

‘It is a big thing that people include Tottenham in that level of clubs like Chelsea, Man City, United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

‘It means something important is growing here. I like it and it makes us proud.’

Spurs must also banish the mental block they appear to have developed at Wembley if they are to beat Chelsea and move a step closer to winning a first major trophy since the League Cup in 2008.

In a decade since the venue was reopened, Tottenham have won there twice in nine appearances.

‘I will tell you after,’ said Pochettino, when asked if Spurs might end the trend. ‘We need to make Wembley our home, and this is a good opportunity.’