MX23RW : Wednesday, January 1 01:57:45| >> :120:21368:21368:

Mauricio Pochettino 'wanted to kill' Spurs players after title collapse

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino admits that he "wanted to kill" his players following their title collapse at the end of last season.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he "wanted to kill" his players following their collapse towards the end of last season.

Spurs provided the main title challenge to Leicester City for the majority of the campaign, but they picked up just two points from their final four games, including a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of relegated Newcastle United on the last day.

That form saw them finish below North London rivals Arsenal, and Pochettino admitted that his players failed to stand up to the mental rigours of a title race.

"I just told them, 'If I have the opportunity to kill you then I kill everyone'. I wanted to kill all of them. And I did not have the opportunity to kill them. I kill myself too," he told reporters.

"What did they do wrong? A lot of things. Football is tactical, physical, technical, but it is also mental. More mental than many years ago.

"We need to know how to improve our mental state. That is very, very important. I think this was key in the last few games in last season. To move on the team, to achieve another level, it is here that we need to improve."

Spurs will begin the new season away to Everton on Saturday.

ID:278718: cacheID:278718:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1999:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mauricio Pochettino applauds after the Premier League game between Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur on April 18, 2016
Read Next:
Pochettino "open" to new arrivals
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford187383232024
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


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!