Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino hopes the forthcoming international break can help “change the dynamic” at the club.
Spurs go into the hiatus on the back of a week to forget as they followed up the Champions League humiliation against Bayern Munich with an equally desperate 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.
With no away wins since January and 11 Premier League defeats this calendar year, the dark clouds are circling at Spurs and the focus has been put on Pochettino’s future.
Mauricio's reaction: pic.twitter.com/fG6DYOhboR— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 5, 2019
His misfiring stars will head out on international duty and Pochettino hopes it will help them regain their spark.
“You never know when you arrive in the moments, sometimes you are in a good dynamic and the international break arrives and it changes completely after two weeks,” he said.
“I hope that it helps us to change the air, change the dynamic or energy.
“It is still so early in the season, we have the belief, it is so strong the belief.
“The last four or five days were tough after Bayern Munich and today, but for all coaching staff this type of situation has happened.
“After five and a half years it is the first time that it is a really difficult situation.
“But for sure that is going to be an experience that we use to be stronger and that type of experience makes us wise, makes us a better type of person, a better group of players and staff.
“All together we need to bounce back because all that we care about is this football club.
“We need to feel the responsibility.”
It was an afternoon to forget at the Amex as Spurs conceded – and lost their captain Hugo Lloris to injury – in only third minute as Neal Maupay was the beneficiary of an embarrassing Lloris howler.
They were then put to the sword and 19-year-old Aaron Connolly, making his first Premier League start, was the chief destroyer, memorably scoring two goals.
While Spurs will not look back fondly on the game, the Irishman will remember it forever, and was pleased he did it in front of his father, who flew over from his homeland on the morning of the match.
“I can’t really describe it at the moment, I feel speechless and I don’t think it will sink in for a while,” he said on the club’s official website.
“I know I won’t be sleeping this evening, I’ve been close to scoring in the last few matches but thankfully it’s come, and I’ve scored twice.
“It’s the proudest moment of my career so far and now I want to push on for more.
“It made it even more special that it was at the Amex; my dad flew over to watch this morning in the hope that I’d start, and I looked up to celebrate with him when I got the second goal.
“I’m so grateful for the hard work all my family have put in and it’s great to know I’ve made them proud.
“They’ve dropped me to training and games when I was young, and sat out in the cold watching me, so that was for them today as much as it was for me.”
