Mauricio Pochettino insist that the pain felt by the players and staff after missing out on the Premier League title last season can motivate Tottenham Hotspur during this seasons race.
This weekend saw the gap at the top of the Premier League diminish by three points as leaders Chelsea lost at home to Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Tottenham clinched a 2-0 win against Burnley at Turf Moor, thanks to goals by Eric Dier and Heung Min Son.
Spurs found themselves in a similar situation last season as they were left chasing eventual winners Leicester City. However, despite being the Foxes' closest challengers for much of the campaign, the Lilywhites faltered during the home straight to finish ten points behind the Champions in third place, behind second-place Arsenal.
A 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Manchester City now means that Tottenham sit four points above City in fourth while are nine above Manchester United in fifth. Liverpool’s win over Everton means they now sit three points behind Spurs in third, but Spurs have a game in hand.
Spurs’ squad depth will however be challenged in the run in as they saw Harry Winks and Victor Wanyama leave the pitch due to injuries, with the latter fearing a season ending broken leg or at least ankle ligament damage. Spurs are still without Danny Rose and Harry Kane, while they also confirmed that Erik Lamela’s hip surgery went well, but he will not feature for the rest of the season.
Spurs must learn from last season
With Tottenham finding themselves in a similar situation, manager Mauricio Pochettino has urged his players to prove they have learnt from the mistakes that lost them the title. Pochettino commented that, “I always tell the players we must show we have learnt from last season.” Before continuing to add that “it was a tough experience but it is a thing that we need to think about every time and give out best, keep our position and fight.”
Despite the disappointment and failures of last season Pochettino still labelled it as “a great experience” for the team. He explained that “Maybe we are clever and intelligent people but in football there are many things inside that you can lose or win”. He continued to add that “We don’t need anybody to push us to be excited because it is exciting this moment that we are living now”.
