Mauricio Pochettino shares his half-time message to Tottenham team

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Tottenham Hotspur just about kept themselves in the FA Cup as a late Harry Kane goal saw Spurs secure a draw.

Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino has told Tottenham’s official website that he told the Spurs players at half-time of their FA Cup fourth round tie with Newport County how disappointed he was to see the Premier League side unable to match the home team’s motivation levels during the first-half.

Newport would have gone into the game with Tottenham high on confidence having come from behind to beat Leeds United in the previous round in a tie that the League Two side more than deserved to win.

And it appeared that an even bigger upset may be on the cards despite Spurs starting a number of key players at Rodney Parade – the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Harry Kane all played the full 90 minutes – as Newport took the lead seven minutes before the break thanks to Padraig Amond.

Kane proved to be Spurs’ saviour once again as he capitalised on Dele Alli’s brilliant flick to tap home from close range with eight minutes left on the clock. And after the game, Pochettino explained what he had told the players at the interval as he tried to inspire a turnaround.

“I was so disappointed, and disappointed not because we didn’t play so well, only that we didn’t match them in motivation, in fight,” he told the club’s official website.

“In this type of game if you don’t fight first of all and you are not motivated to play well, it’s so easy to struggle.

“In the last 30 minutes we played well, created chances and deserved a draw.”

With their next three league games pitting Spurs against Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal just a matter of days before they resume their Champions League campaign with a trip to Turin to face Juventus, an additional game is surely one that Pochettino could have done without.

But he will be reminding his players that they are still in the competition despite the scare, and they must now take full advantage of the reprieve they secured.