USE LAST SEASON'S HISTORIC VICTORY AT CHELSEA AS A SOURCE OF CONFIDENCE TO WIN MAN UNITED…..MAURICIO POCHETTINO URGE HIS PLAYERS
USE LAST SEASON'S HISTORIC VICTORY AT CHELSEA AS A
SOURCE OF CONFIDENCE TO WIN MAN UNITED…..MAURICIO POCHETTINO URGE HIS
PLAYERS
LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino has urged his players to use last season's historic victory at Chelsea as a source of confidence and motivation as he seeks to halt his losing record at Old Trafford as Tottenham Hotspur manager.
Spurs won back-to-back Premier League away
matches against Manchester United under Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood in
Sept. 2012 and Jan. 2014. But they have since lost all four of their trips
under Pochettino.
"That's not perception, it's
reality," the Argentinian told a news conference. "We didn't score in
four games or take a point. But Chelsea last season was a good example -- after
28 years [without a win there], we won. Why not [do it again]?
"Still after four years there are many
things to improve, and one thing we need to improve is winning against some
clubs away from home, like Manchester United.
"In the last four years we've played
there and always we lost, for different reasons. We played some games well,
some not so well. It's a massive challenge for us to go to Manchester United
and show we're capable of winning.
"In football, if you don't believe, you
lose before you arrive there. It's important to arrive in the best condition,
not only in our tactics and organisation, but in our mind we need to go there
and believe we can win."
Tottenham have made their best start to a
Premier League campaign for four years after winning their first two fixtures,
and they are now bidding to complete a hat trick of opening victories for the
first time since 2009.
The fact they have been unable to achieve
that treble for so long is significant for Pochettino.
"It's good to make a statement that
historically the club haven't won too much," he said. "We are a big
club of course. We need to be bigger of course, and we are on the way to being
a bigger club. But after four years, many people say we haven't won anything.
But historically, that is our history.
"We are trying to settle the basis to
win, we are breaking records about good results, but of course it is not enough.
But it's not enough because maybe sometimes we are victims of our success. But
it would be perfect to win again and settle after [nine] years to win the first
three matches.
"We knew in the last few years it is so
important to start in a good way, because to catch the teams above you is
always difficult."
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is
under scrutiny after his side lost 3-2 to Brighton in their last match, but
Pochettino said: "You don't believe I'm in the same position? We feel the
pressure every week.
"Of course the circumstances are
different over the year but every game you play, you're under pressure.
"At Tottenham, Southampton, Espanyol the
people are judging you, talking about your decisions. When you win, all the
people knew you were so good. When you lose all the people knew the manager was
wrong.
"In all the clubs in the league, we're
so exposed to you and the fans -- more in England, the head coach or manager is
such an important person. But in all the clubs you feel a similar pressure.
"I don't know, I was never Man Utd
manager. I can only compare with Southampton and Espanyol and here, and I promise
you it was similar."


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