ROT SPURS!

Pochettino blasts his ‘arrogant’ stars after latest defeat

MAURICIO POCHETTINO last night accused his players of arrogance, immaturity and complacency after they capitulated at Southampton to a third Premier League defeat in four games.

After conceding two late goals in five minutes to lose 2-1, Pochettino said: ‘That shows we still have a lot of work to do. That shows that we are not mature enough.

‘If you want to be a real contender, we cannot arrive here with the arrogance of a Champions League quarter-finalist. I am so, so, so disappointed. It’s about complacency, and arrogance.’

Tottenham fell apart defensively in the second half after Harry Kane had opened the scoring.

Moussa Sissoko was luck to stay on the pitch after head-butting Nathan Redmond and Spurs have now taken one point from four games. After sitting next to chairman Daniel Levy as he served the first of his two- game touchline ban,

Pochettino emphasised that he is also to blame for the minicollapse in form in the Premier League — yet he hinted that Tottenham still have much work to do if the club aims to become one of the best in the world.

Pochettino added that some big decisions need to be made during the summer in order to move up to the next level.

He declared: ‘That game shows that to be in the last level, you need more effort and quality and increase your capacity for commitment.

‘If you want to play at the top level and be one of the best clubs in the world, you need to increase everything.

‘The key is to be consistent every time. We need time for that. And we have a lot of decisions to make to be contender in the future.

‘We showed a lack of aggression and the hunger you need to kill the game.

‘You cannot compete for only 45 minutes and then say: ‘Finished.’

‘I am so critical with myself and with the team because if you want to be a real contender, in the top four or fight for big things, we cannot arrive here with arrogance.

‘We played the first half like one of the top eight teams in Europe, in the second half it was the opposite.

‘You use the first half as an example of arrogance playing with intention, focus and concentration.

‘We match them in everything and were much better. The second half was arrogance in a bad way.’

Pochettino insisted his touchline ban had made no difference to the team’s below-par second-half performance.

But he did suggest that Spurs are perhaps finding their level, given the lack of signings, the uncertainty over the constantly delayed move to the new stadium and having to contend with so many of his players competing late into the World Cup.

‘Given the circumstances at the beginning of the season, it’s good to be in a very good position at the end of the season,’ said Pochettino. ‘Or maybe we need to understand: “Ok it’s our limit to be there”.

‘And, of course, if that is our limit we need to make decisions in the future.

‘But I cannot come here and say: “Everything was good, we are so fantastic, the staff and the manager, I am the best”. It’s impossible. We need to be critical.’