Pochettino demands more from Spurs

WEST BROMWICH, Britain: Mauricio Pochettino saw his Tottenham Hotspur side surrender ground in the race for a Champions League place and then demanded more aggression from his players in their final two Premier League games.

The Spurs manager remained phlegmatic following a dramatic 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion that came with a late, scrambled stoppage-time goal. But he admitted his side had been missing vital ingredients in attack after they handed West Brom a victory that helped ensure they ended the day still in hope of avoiding relegation after drop rivals Southampton failed to win when conceding a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw away to Everton in Saturday’s late kick-off.

“We miss a little bit of aggression with the ball,” said Pochettino, whose side are now a point behind third-placed Liverpool, who play on Sunday.

“Everyone can see the game, we dominated but if you are not clinical in front of goal it’s always open.”Defeat meant a significant setback to Tottenham’s hopes, not just of claiming a top-three finish that would spare them a Champions League qualifier early next season, but possibly of even claiming a top-four finish.

However, Spurs will continue to have a large say in their own destiny given they face home games in the final week of the season against Newcastle and Leicester — two sides with little to play for.

“Maybe we need to assess why, our performances have dropped a little bit,” admitted Pochettino, whose team were thwarted repeatedly by home goalkeeper Ben Foster, who made smart saves from Harry Kane and Erik Lamela among others.

“But it’s still in our hands so we need to work hard in the next two games but it’s our chance to be in the Champions League next season. “It’s so important, of course. We’re in a good position - we’re disappointed after the result - but we can still achieve it.”