Mauricio Pochettino has given his verdict on why he thinks Tottenham's Premier League title challenge ended earlier than anticipated.
Heading into an away trip to Burnley towards the end of February Tottenham were piling the pressure on both Liverpool and Manchester City in the race for the title, but things have since spiralled out of control for Spurs.
They lost 2-1 to the Clarets and have now picked up just one point from their last four Premier League games, going from title challengers to potentially dropping out of the top four just four games later.
It's been a difficult month for Tottenham, and speaking in a press conference ahead of Spurs' contest against Liverpool on Sunday (as reported by Football.London) Pochettino has revealed that he feels his side's poor form has come from his players taking their foot off the gas when their fixtures came less frequently. He said: “It is so important to see the reality.
"If you see the squads in the top six, top eight, top ten, maybe it wasn’t reality, it was because we were very good, very focused and tried to win games. In the last few games, I think before the Burnley game we were playing every two or three days and it was a week where we didn’t play and it was like we disconnected.
“Everyone believed we needed to breathe and rest but I think it affected us a lot in our brain, something that we disconnect. It is not about the energy, the legs, it is about the mental connection in the team and maybe we were affected by that disconnection. And now it makes it more difficult to connect again and perform in the way we want to perform."
Despite leaving their title hopes in pieces Tottenham still have a lot to play for. They face Manchester City in the quarter finals of the Champions League and are still clinging onto their spot in their place in the Premier League.
With the club also set to move into their new stadium for their next home game against Crystal Palace, it could be just the lift the team need heading into a crucial run into the end of the season.
Source : 90min