Tottenham Hotspur are certainly in a downward spiral right now. Having crashed out of the UEFA Champions League, last year’s third place finisher in the English Premier League then found themselves in the Europa League. They have since been bounced from the Europe consolation bracket by KAA Gent.
Spurs London rival club Chelsea are currently on top of the table by such a wide margin that the league title race is most likely over. Heading into a Sunday home clash against ninth place Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur Manager Mauricio Pochettino admits his club is not ready to compete for a title yet, and they must add players this summer transfer window in order to rise up to that level.
The Argentine said:
“Always football is about quality. And being clever, but it’s true. It’s always about improving. We must add quality to the team if we want to fight for big things. And we will try, like always in football.
“Now is not the moment to start to talk. I think as always it’s our job as a club to find the right profile and player that can play for us.”
Pochettino then compared his team’s stage of development to the club’s stadium upgrade construction projection.
“I think that we have pushed the expectation higher but that is normal because last season we were there — second, third in the league and that is good, but my question is maybe we are not ready. It’s like the stadium, if we want to move today we are not ready to play there.
“We need to wait, build the foundations. It’s a problem always — to be patient, to arrive, but the important thing is the club. Our chairman has built the foundation. New facilities on the training ground, new stadium to provide and to be a better team, better club, bigger club.
“We’re on the way to build one of the best clubs in Europe. But now we must be patient.
“We have patience to build and try to work hard and try to find the players that we can add to achieve that. Work hard and be clever; that is very important.”
Following the loss to KAA Gent in the first leg of the Europa League, Pochettino admitted that his team is in a “bad period,” and on a “negative run.”
“We knew that before. But the game was always under control. The second half disappointed us that we were better and we created a chance when in the first half it was difficult to create a chance.
“It was our best period when we conceded a goal. That is football. We start to try to push and gave them counter-attacks.
“We cannot be worried about the result today or the trust of the team. I think the attitude was good. I think we need to go to Wembley and try to make it our home, feel good, put pressure on Gent and try to win the game.”
“That is the reality and sometimes things happen, good and bad. We are now in a bad period and I hope that on Sunday we break that negative run.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and Bold, contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication, CGTN America, WGN CLTV News and KOZN.
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