Tottenham Hotspur will take on relegation-threatened Brighton on Tuesday night in what is going to be a crucial Premier League clash.
Mauricio Pochettino has stated that Tottenham’s ‘behaviour and mentality’ has been ‘perfect’ leading up to their Premier League clash against Brighton on Tuesday.
The North London club suffered a defeat to Manchester City last time out, but they didn’t lose out too much because their top four rivals, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all dropped points.
Now ahead of their home tie against Chris Hughton’s relegation-threatened side, Pochettino insisted that his team are focussed on the task ahead despite a Champions League semi-final on the horizon.
“We’re not thinking about Ajax, like we showed [against Manchester City],” said Pochettino, as quoted by the Guardian. “We showed [against them] we were thinking of that competition, the Premier League. Now our energy is on Brighton. I think it is so clear we have two alternatives.
“One is to be in the top four at the end of the season and the other is to beat Ajax but we have to go step by step. That’s important.
“The players know it. Their behaviour and mentality is perfect. You know very well I don’t need to tell them. I think they were very professional against City.”
It is highly likely that Tottenham will secure that third spot, but it is a case of who will join them out of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
If Spurs somehow don’t end up finishing in the top four then winning the Champions League at the end of the season would secure them an automatic place in next season’s competition.
The same applies for their North London rivals, Arsenal, who would need to win the Europa League in order to secure an automatic passage, but their neighbours Chelsea are also still in the competition.
Nonetheless, after their home clash against Brighton, Pochettino’s side will then welcome Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United to their new stadium.
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