Mauricio Pochettino says 'tired' Spurs must forget West Ham defeat before Ajax clash
Mauricio Pochettino has admitted Spurs players were ‘tired’ as they suffered a surprise 1-0 home defeat to West Ham.
Michail Antonio’s second half strike meant the Hammers became the first side to both to score and beat their London rivals at their new ground following its opening earlier this month.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Pochettino admitted his players, who face Ajax in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday, weren’t as ‘fresh’ as their opponents at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Sometimes these performances or results can happen. It’s not easy. It was tough today. It’s difficult to beat an opponent in the Premier League.
“They were fresh, we were tired but now it’s about moving on.”
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Tottenham welcome the Dutch side to their new home as they bid to make history by reaching the Champions League final for the first time in their history.
Pochettino says his players cannot afford to dwell on the setback against West Ham and switch their focus to the huge match coming up.
“It’s tough to prepare for a semi final against a very good team like Ajax. It’s going to be difficult, of course but our mentality is the most important thing.
“We need to move on, we need to forget about now and start thinking about Tuesday”
Spurs remain in third place following the defeat and hold a three point lead over Chelsea in fourth having played a game more.
The Blues face sixth place Manchester United on Sunday while fifth place Arsenal, four points behind their North London rivals, take on Leicester at the King Power stadium.
Pochettino is wary of the chasing teams but is well aware of the fact Spurs’ destiny is in their own hands.
Tottenham travel to Bournemouth in their next fixture before hosting Everton on the final day of the season.
“We have two more games in the league and we hope and wish we’re in the top four.”
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