Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that he is happy with his players despite Tottenham Hotspur’s disappointing start to the season and admitted that it is his responsibility to give them the tools to improve.
Pochettino has come under scrutiny as a result of Tottenham’s poor form and the attitude of his squad has also been questioned. Spurs have slipped to 12th place after winning two of their past eight league matches, yet Pochettino called for togetherness and sought to defend his under-performing players by saying that it is up to him to make them more resilient.
“I am happy with all players,” Tottenham’s manager said. “I have no complaint with the players. I complain with me because I need to give them more tools to play better. This is my worry.
My mentality is to find a solution for positive results, that is my responsibility as a head coach. I have to make sure we analyse the tactical situations, all the football side, but we need to improve our mentality as a team, to be more strong in all aspects. I tell that to the players, like I do the media. I have to give the tools for us to play better, this is on my shoulders. Now is not the moment to find the guiltiness, it is a moment to be together, to be strong. That is our responsibility. My responsibility is to get the results and improve the team.
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Pochettino refused to comment on reports that Southampton’s head of recruitment, Paul Mitchell, is set to join Tottenham soon and said that he speaks his chairman, Daniel Levy, every day. However he hinted that Spurs’ structure needs to change and, given he worked closely with Mitchell at Southampton, the impending arrival would appear to strengthen Pochettino’s position. “My idea always is to try to improve,” the manager said. “Nothing is perfect – always we need to improve.”
Tottenham visit Hull City on Sunday afternoon and they may be glad to get away from White Hart Lane, where they have lost four times in the league this season. After the defeat to Stoke City in their previous match, Emmanuel Adebayor has said that the hostile atmosphere is making it difficult for the team to perform at home. However Pochettino said that he understands why supporters are frustrated. “We need to be positive,” he said. “The solution is just for us to play better on the pitch, to give our supporters the message we want to improve.”
