‘We have a lot of work to do’

– Tottenham’s ambitions after reaching the club’s first Champions League final and moving into a stunning new stadium were to kick on and challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for major honours this season.

However, Mauricio Pochettino (above) admits his side need to make major improvements and learn from their mistakes just to maintain their status as Champions League regulars.

“We need to improve and I think all the players in the squad feel the same that we need to improve if we are to be a contender for big things,” said Pochettino this week.

Spurs travel to Leicester today already seven points off Premier League leaders Liverpool having won just two of their opening six games to the season.

After blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 away to Olympiakos in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, Harry Kane bemoaned the lack of maturity from a squad that should have been hardened by the progress made during Pochettino’s five years in charge.

“We’re not young any more, we’re not inexperienced,” said the England captain. “We’ve played in big games for club and country.

“I can see why the manager is frustrated because he’s been here for six years now and we’re still making similar mistakes to the ones we were in his first year.

“We’ve got to find a way to get around it, improve and get better.”

Pochettino questioned his players’ attitude for not matching the standards of a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace last weekend on their visit to Greece in midweek.

“It’s not about tactics, it’s not about quality players, it’s about the quality of preparing yourself to be ready to fight,” said Pochettino.

“At this type of level you need to match the opponents in terms of intensity, aggression, in excitement and motivation and then is going to appear your quality when you are connected with the game.”

Pochettino has often surpassed expectations during his time in charge.

He successfully guided the club through nearly two years at a temporary home at Wembley, while maintaining Spurs in the Premier League’s top four, and make progress in Europe on a shoestring budget compared to the Champions League elite.

But a return of just 19 points from Tottenham’s last 17 Premier League games shows how their progress has stalled. – AFP