Pochettino pleads for Spurs lions

MAURICIO POCHETTINO insisted Tottenham are not genuine title contenders if they continue to lose to teams like Watford — and says he needs his players to be more like ‘lions’. The Spurs manager delivered a stinging criticism of his side’s mentality after a 2-1 loss at Vicarage Road and conceded they cannot win the Premier League if they do not improve. Pochettino accused his players of coasting through the first half, claiming they lacked aggression and failed to respect the league’s demands as they allowed a 1-0 lead to slip. The Argentine fumed: ‘The reality is that if you want to be a contender you need to win today. ‘And win easy. We need to show more respect to this competition. ‘We need to go there like a lion and try to score in every single action. ‘OK, we play football, but we have to be more aggressive. ‘You need to win this type of game if you want to be a contender at the end of the season.’