BURNLEY, England (REUTERS) - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino all but conceded his team's title hopes were over after they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Burnley on Saturday (Feb 23).
"I said, for me this game is going to be key to put pressure on our opponents. If we didn't win, we cannot put pressure and we cannot think now of being a real contender. It is a massive opportunity lost for us," said the Argentine.
Pochettino vented his frustration at referee Mike Dean in a furious confrontation at the end of the game but he said that the blame for the loss lay squarely at his team.
"You want to win for the emotion, you know how important was the game and when you feel so disappointed and upset, you make some mistakes," he said.
"We made some mistakes on the pitch and I made some mistakes afterwards on the pitch. I need to go to the dressing room and drink some water but what happened, happened. We need to see inside ourselves," added the Spurs boss who said he might apologise to the referee.
Pochettino is likely to face an FA charge over his behaviour at the conclusion.
"I think I am going to accept everything that can happen from the FA. The thing happened on the pitch and I hope that it's not going (any) further."
Â
Spurs remain five points behind leaders Manchester City and Liverpool but missed a chance to put some real pressure on the top two.
City face Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday and Spurs could have drawn within two points of Pep Guardiola's side while Liverpool face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
But instead of giving Juergen Klopp's side something to worry about ahead of that game, Spurs are left wondering why they are not yet in true contention.
"I think it was a fantastic opportunity for us to be a real contender and to show we are there because we deserve it. What is important to see ourselves and say we need to improve," said Pochettino.
"We need to defend better, we need to play better in possession to improve our quality.
"Never was the game you can say was under control. We create some chances but not enough. In this kind of level, if you want to be a contender you need to come here and show your credentials but it did not happen," he said.
The only positive for Spurs was the return of Harry Kane, who had brought his side level with a 65th minute goal on his return from a six-week injury absence.
Spurs had won all four Premier League games that Kane missed and Pochettino said there was a lesson to be learned.
"That showed the most important is the collective. You can win, you can lose. Harry scored, I am so happy he is back, that is going to help but no one is more important than the team," he said.
Kevin-Prince Boateng set for shock Barcelona move - Reports Catalan daily Sport reported that the leaders of La Liga had agreed a deal to take Boateng on loan until the end of the season with an
Football: Boateng set for shock Barcelona move - reports
Manchester United vs. Bournemouth score, takeaways: Paul Pogba shines as Red Devils win again under Solskjaer It's nine points in three games for United since Jose Mourinho left
Edinson Cavani missed a stoppage-time penalty as Paris St Germain continued their stuttering end to the season with a 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at home to Nice, with Neymar notching his 50th goal for the club.
Football: Neymar hits half-century as PSG are held by Nice
No, I think today's matey atmosphere is more a generational thing. Players don't tend to snarl at each so much these days. It's all hugs and high-fives in the tunnel beforehand, rather than
"This is the ideal storm for Mars science," said Jim Watzin, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "We have a historic number of spacecraft operating at the Red Planet.
NewsNow: Video Assistant Referees news | Breaking News 24/7
The Pakistan national Football team represents Pakistan association football in FIFA-authorised events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Pakistan's home ground is Punjab Stadium, Lahore. Pakistan became a member of FIFA in 1948 joining the Asian Football Confederation. Pakistan's
Khash-Erdene Batbayar - Wikipedia
Football: Everton dish out 4-0 thrashing to awful Manchester United to dim their top-four EPL hopes The Straits Times; Fantasy football: Make room for Gylfi Sigurdsson but be cautious with Pierre
Michael Kors: Coming Soon to a Broadway Theater Near You
LONDON • Brendan Rodgers will soon make his return to managing in the Premier League, as Celtic "very reluctantly" granted him permission to talk to Leicester City.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Rodgers closing in on EPL return with Leicester
LONDON (AFP) - Maurizio Sarri warned his Chelsea stars to improve their mentality after Willian's sublime strike sealed a hard-fought 2-1 win over struggling Newcastle on Saturday (Jan 12).. Read
Willian gem sinks Newcastle as Chelsea cement fourth place
Spanish media call for Valverde axe. May 9, 2019, 5:00 am. Sport Stories . Little red dot hails 'amazing' mighty Reds. Valencia to home in on Arsenal's poor away form.
Lionel Messi tells Ernesto Valverde to axe five Barcelona
Serie A champions Juventus have dismissed reports they are set to make Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola their new head coach, with sporting director Fabio Paratici calling the entire news
Pep Guardiola categorically denies Juventus manager links
But then the rank insubordination from Kepa — however Chelsea may try to paint it. Alamy Live News Roman Abramovich, pictured at a performance of The Nutcracker in Moscow, has a choice to make over Maurizio Sarri's future Reuters Why wasn't senior defender David Luiz backing Maurizio Sarri in the Kepa Arrizabalaga sub row?
'How could he do that?' Maurizio Sarri's outburst at Kepa
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 03, 2019, with the headline 'Spurs must drop Lloris for top 4, says Jenas'. Print Edition | Subscribe.
Spurs must drop Lloris for top 4, says Jenas, Football News
Karim Benzema shot Real Madrid to within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona with the winner in a scrappy 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, while countryman Antoine Griezmann fired a brace in a 3-2
Real Madrid, Atletico close in on Barcelona | Football News
0 comments:
Post a Comment