POCH: WE LACKED AGGRESSION

MAURICIO POCHETTINO delivered stinging criticism of his Tottenham side’s mentality after defeat at Watford when he conceded they cannot win the Premier League title if they do not improve. The Spurs boss accused his players of coasting through the first half at Vicarage Road after last week’s 3-0 win at Manchester United. He claimed they were lacking the necessary aggression and had failed to respect the Premier League as they allowed the lead to slip. ‘It’s a very good wake-up call for everyone,’ Pochettino fumed. ‘The reality is that if you want to be a contender you need to win today. And win easy. Because everything was ready for us to win the game. ‘We need to show more respect to this competition. To compete and to win is not easy. The Premier League is so, so tough. ‘You need to compete much, much better. We need to go there like a lion and try to score in every single action. OK, we play football, we play football, but we have to be more aggressive. ‘If you want to win you need to show that character. You need to defend well. If you do not play so well you need to win this type of game if you want to be a contender at the end.’ After taking the lead in the second half, Spurs conceded two headers, both scored from set-pieces, by Troy Deeney and Craig Cathcart. ‘Of course, it’s disappointing,’ Pochettino said. ‘It is very painful but I am not upset. It is difficult to understand after four years. I am the first responsible and the guilty one when the team loses. ‘To pay today and feel the pain, sure it’s going to help us for the future and to be better. And in March and April and May, if we are there, we can say, ‘‘OK, now we are a contender’’. But before we talk, we need to show that we are contenders. And how do you show it? By winning. And the only way to win a game is to give your best.’