Mauricio Pochettino not concerned by Tottenham's poor away record against 'big six'
Spurs have one win in 18 away games against the 'big six' since Pochettino joined
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Your support makes all the difference.Mauricio Pochettino insists that he is not concerned by Tottenham Hotspur’s poor away record against the rest of the Premier League’s ‘big six’.
Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at the home of league leaders Manchester City was the third that Tottenham have suffered on the road against their direct rivals this season, having already left Old Trafford and the Emirates empty-handed.
Since taking over in north London three years ago, Pochettino has claimed just one win from 18 away matches against City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool - taking three points from the Etihad in February 2016.
Goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and a Raheem Sterling brace on Saturday ensured Tottenham would suffer another defeat on their travels before Christian Eriksen’s late consolation, but speaking after the game, Pochettino refused to be drawn on his side’s big-game record.
“I think we play 19 teams in the Premier League, no? You see me concerned? Not really, no. It’s about how you finish in the league and position in the table,” he said. “Last season we were above Manchester City in the table. This season we are below. Maybe we need to improve our results not only away from home but at home.
“The expectation was massive during the season, yes we struggled maybe with different competitions but in the Champions League we are doing fantastic. In the Premier League we are not in the position we wanted but we are fighting for the top four.”
Having finished eight points above City at the end of the 2016-17 season back in May, Tottenham now find themselves 21 points behind this year’s leaders, with little to no hope of catching Pep Guardiola’s side and improving on last season’s runners-up finish.
Pochettino might be fairly point to finances when asked to explain the swing in points between the two clubs. While City spent approximately £250m on players last summer, Tottenham parted with around £93m and ended the window in profit, thanks in no small part to the sale of right-back Kyle Walker to City for £50m.
The Tottenham manager, however, did not want to absolve his players for a disappointing performance.
“Look, I don’t want to say anything today. I don’t want to find an excuse,” he said after the final whistle on Saturday. “That is football, today the reality was 4-1, they won, they were better and I think they are doing fantastic.
“Of course in football one team can win the Premier and if you are second, third, fourth and going to play the Champions League, it doesn’t matter if you are one point or 20 points away. At the end it’s about the place in the table.”
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