Pochettino expected Tottenham to show character

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino hailed the determination shown by 10-man Tottenham in their 2-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday but he expected nothing less.

Spurs had defender Serge Aurier sent off for a second yellow card just after the half-hour mark in the Premier League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Danny Ings then cancelled out Tanguy Ndombele’s opener by pouncing on Hugo Lloris’ error, but Harry Kane restored the lead and Spurs showed their grit to secure the points despite their numerical disadvantage.

It was an important riposte to a disappointing run that saw Spurs surrender a 2-0 lead in their Champions League opener to draw at Olympiacos, lose 2-1 at Leicester City and be dumped out of the EFL Cup on penalties by Colchester United.

“To be honest I am not surprised about the character of the team,” Pochettino said about their victory.

“We have the character. Sometimes we need to realise that every time we compete we have to use this character in different circumstances. 

“In some games we struggle to show that, but we have an amazing squad, and amazing players. 

“A few months ago we played in the Champions League final, not because of luck, it was because we fully deserved to be there. We cannot have changed too much in a few months.

“I feel proud. I was so happy for them, my players, my squad, we have unbelievable players, only we needed to recover the spirit that we showed.”

6 – Harry Kane has scored in six consecutive @premierleague appearances against Southampton, netting eight goals in total in this run. Devil. pic.twitter.com/a0mY0MDSkV

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 28, 2019

Pochettino was happy with the way his players responded to their setbacks and refused to criticise Lloris for being too casual for Southampton’s goal.

He added: “In this moment it was tough, with the sending off and then we conceded in those circumstances.

“I don’t want anyone to blame Hugo, in this action I want the blame because I demand him to do what he was doing. 

“We are talking about if not the best, in the top three or five goalkeepers in the world. He is so strong mentally and of course showed that he wasn’t affected.

“Of course, this situation can happen, but I think the team showed unbelievable spirit after that. 

“A few situations that could be a tough impact in a negative way today we showed an amazing spirit and of course helping our fans, who were amazing.”