Liverpool defeat knocked our confidence – Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted his side’s defeat against Liverpool affected their confidence following the 1-0 Europa League loss against Gent.

The 2-0 Premier League loss at Anfield ended Spurs’ 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions, and Pochettino’s men then fell short of their best as they slipped to a first-leg defeat at Ghelamco Arena on Thursday.

A trip across London to face Fulham in the FA Cup awaits Spurs before they attempt to overturn the deficit against Gent at Wembley, and Pochettino urged his side to rediscover their best form.

“Until the Liverpool game we were having a good run,” he said. “After the Liverpool game maybe our confidence dropped a little bit but today was a different competition. All the people who watched the game know it wasn’t our best game.

“It’s always a bad feeling when you lose. The tie is open, it’s a minimal advantage for Gent and we’re capable of turning the tie.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to make Wembley our home and demonstrate that we can win and play well at Wembley. It would be fantastic to show ourselves that we can do this and be ready for next season.”

Jeremy Perbet’s second-half goal gave Gent the advantage going into the second leg at Wembley – Tottenham’s temporary home in European competition -but Pochettino refused to be downhearted after seeing his side struggle in Belgium.

He said: “It’s not only 90 minutes. That was the first leg.

“The first half was even. In the second half we changed our formation to try and find a solution and play better, and during a better period for us, we conceded a goal.

“I’m disappointed, yes, because we had a lot of opportunities, two or three very clear, before we concede the goal. Sometimes in football if you concede a chance and the opponent scores, that is the game.”

He added: “It’s true that it was not a good performance but we need to understand that it’s always difficult to play in the Europa League. We try to find a way to win the game and go to Wembley in a better position.

“Now we need to fight from the beginning to turn the result and try to win the game.”