Pochettino fears loss has drained Tottenham’s spirit

MAURICIO POCHETTINO has urged his weary stars to ‘be strong’ but fears yesterday’s 1-0 defeat by West Ham may have drained the spirit from Tottenham ahead of their Champions League semi-final showdown with Ajax.

Michail Antonio scored the only goal, earning him the honour of becoming the first opposition player to find the net at the new Tottenham Stadium, which also put a spoke in Spurs’ hopes for a top-four finish.

And Pochettino (above) is clearly concerned that the defeat – the first at their new home – has changed the mood at the club ahead of the meeting with Ajax on Tuesday.

‘The feeling for everyone has changed quickly,’ he said. ‘After the win here against Brighton on Tuesday, everyone had a very good feeling – that we are having a fantastic season and we are going to arrive in our best condition. But after our defeat today it’s like we will arrive the complete opposite.’

Pochettino reported that Harry Winks will not be available for the first leg because of a groin injury and Moussa Sissoko, also carrying a groin problem, will have to be assessed.

And once again he could not resist a swipe at his team’s hectic fixture schedule. Ajax, in contrast, have been given this weekend off by Dutch football authorities to prepare for this week’s trip to London.

‘We are competing with circumstances that are not the best,’ said Pochettino. ‘It’s a little bit unfair in the way we arrive in the competition [against Ajax] but we need to accept that and what can we do? We need to accept that and try to be strong.

‘I’m disappointed but we need to move on. It’s up to us to manage the situation, make sure they rest and are ready to compete on Tuesday.’