MX23RW : Wednesday, October 2 14:00:43| >> :120:14718:14718:
[monks data]
Attendance: 51,743
Spurs logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 22, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
Red Star Belgrade

5-0

Kane (9', 72'), Heung-min (16', 44'), Lamela (57')
FT(HT: 3-0)

Mauricio Pochettino: 'Spurs fans love me and I love them too'

Mauricio Pochettino: 'Spurs fans love me and I love them too'
© Reuters
The Tottenham boss believes his squad are determined to reverse their fortunes.

Mauricio Pochettino says he reciprocates the love of Tottenham fans and will give "200 per cent" effort to deliver the results they demand.

Spurs supporters repeatedly chanted the name of the under-fire manager during the emphatic 5-0 Champions League success over Red Star Belgrade.

Pochettino is facing the first real test of his five-year tenure in north London following a dismal start to the season which has seen his position come under increasing scrutiny.

Mauricio Pochettino has been under heavy scrutiny in recent weeks
Mauricio Pochettino has been under heavy scrutiny in recent weeks (Nick Potts/PA)

Braces from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, plus a strike from Erik Lamela, helped alleviate pressure on the Argentinian.

Pochettino accepts the club's current predicament is a challenging one but believes his squad are determined to return to previous heights.

"I say thank you, I want to be grateful with them," Pochettino said of Tottenham's fans.

"I think the same love is in both ways. I feel that they love me and I think they need to feel that I love them too.

"But I think always the most important is the team, the players are the principal actors and always I am here to help the club and help them to be happy, like it was the previous season.

"Of course now is a tough situation. We are a club and that commitment that we showed in the past, we are now showing.

"That makes me feel more responsible about my job and I need to work every day 200 per cent to try to provide the result that they expect from us."

Victory over significantly inferior opposition was Tottenham's first in Europe since memorably reaching the Champions League final against Liverpool by producing a stunning comeback against Ajax in May.

Spurs' squad will be rewarded with a day off on Wednesday before they begin preparing for a rematch with Jurgen Klopp's Premier League leading Reds on Sunday.

After winning just four of 13 fixtures in all competitions this term, Pochettino insists time is all he needs to revive his side's fortunes.

Erik Lamela scored on his 200th appearance for Spurs
Erik Lamela scored on his 200th appearance for Spurs (Nick Potts/PA)

"It was an important result, one for our confidence and another because to add three points in the table was very, very, very important tonight," said Pochettino.

"I feel good because we start to see that it's only time we need to recover our best feelings.

"We need to build that confidence, we need to go step by step, being solid again and that is only the first step to build again our confidence and to try to perform in the way that everyone expects.

"It's now about to stay calm, it's a good result but only three points.

"Now we have ahead a lot of tough games and we need to be solid. That is why I want all fresh, that is why tomorrow they are going to have the day off.

Tottenham's Son Heung-min walks past the Champions League trophy following defeat by Liverpool in the 2019 final
Tottenham's Son Heung-min walks past the Champions League trophy following defeat by Liverpool in the 2019 final (Mike Egerton/PA)

"Sunday is going to be a fantastic game. A few months ago we were playing the final against Liverpool and now in Anfield."

Serbian champions Red Star were backed by a sizeable pocket of travelling fans for the Group B encounter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The away fans defied a UEFA ban issued for racist chanting to attend the match and made their presence felt with relentless singing.

Asked if he was surprised to see away supporters inside the ground, Red Star coach Vladan Milojevic replied: "I'm not surprised. Red Star is one of the biggest clubs in the Balkans.

Red Star fans watched their side concede five goals in London
Red Star fans watched their side concede five goals in London (Nick Potts/PA)

"There are many of our fans, some of them live in this country, in London, or maybe surrounding countries and for them Red Star is a very important club.

"It's a love that they feel for the club, I can't describe this with words, this sort of love.

"People came, I'm sure they weren't organised as a group.

"Just like at Liverpool (in October 2018), we had a ban. There were very few fans tonight but we could hear them. Again, I thank them for their support."

ID:375901: cacheID:375901:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:11463:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A general shot of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 30, 2019
Read Next:
Spurs launch "full investigation after Red Star fans "illegally" enter stadium
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Dortmund22006
2B. Leverkusen22006
3Brest22006
4Inter Milan21104
5Man City21104
6Sparta Prague21104
7Arsenal21104
8Sporting Lisbon21104
9Monaco11003
10Bayern11003
11Barcelona21013
12Aston Villa11003
13Juventus11003
14Liverpool11003
15Real Madrid11003
16Atletico11003
17Benfica11003
18PSG21013
19Celtic21013
20Bologna10101
21Shakhtar10101
22Atalanta10101
23PSV20111
24Stuttgart20111
25Girona10010
26RB Leipzig10010
27Sturm Graz10010
28Lille10010
29AC Milan20020
30Brugge10010
31Feyenoord10010
32Red Star20020
33Dinamo Zagreb10010
34Salzburg20020
35Slovan Bratislava20020
36Young Boys20020


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!