Mauricio Pochettino voiced his concerns at Tottenham Hotspur’s depth in squad as the Lilywhites crashed out of the Champions League, while adding that the club must learn from their mistakes.
Spurs’ three losses, one draw and a win were not enough to keep them in Europe’s elite competition with a game to spare, as they were defeated 2-1 by AS Monaco on Tuesday.
A goal from Thomas Lemar won the game just a minute after Harry Kane equalised from the penalty spot, epitomising Tottenham’s recklessness throughout the competition. Had Spurs drawn the game they would have had a small chance of progressing in the competition, but it would have relied on the other game in their group going in their favour come matchday six.
We must learn and strengthen
Tottenham made four changes ahead of their must win fixture, including leaving out experienced regular starters such as Kyle Walker and Jan Vertonghen.
In his post match comments Mauricio Pochettino expressed his apprehension at Tottenham’s ability to fight on two fronts. He commented that “Last season or the season before we always rotated in the Europa League and this season, it’s exciting to be in the Champions League but difficult to rotate”.
He continued to add that the team must continue to learn from their mistakes as “It’s the first experience for us and most of the players in the Champions League” and this “is our challenge”.
One weak spot for Tottenham in the competition was their defence, with sloppy marking or rushed clearances dictating a usually calm and collected defence. Speaking about the two goals that his team conceded the Argentine added that “at this level, you cannot concede the way we conceded” as you are playing in “the toughest competition in the world” and “you pay” for these errors. He continued to add that his players “need to be focused and to compete in the best way” other wise you will “concede chances and you will always play in this competition”.