Wednesday 25 October 2017 23:34, UK
Mauricio Pochettino admitted Tottenham may have been complacent after they crashed out of the Carabao Cup after letting a two-goal lead slip against West Ham.
Spurs were in complete control at the break as Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli fired them into a healthy lead, but, after Andre Ayew hauled the Hammers level, Angelo Ogbonna completed a remarkable turnaround.
"Everyone can see the game," Pochettino told Sky Sports. "The first half was easy, we scored two goals and the game looked over.
"In the second half there was a lack aggression, the game was completely different and we conceded three goals in 15 minutes.
"That was the problem, it can happen in 90 minutes and when you are not on the same mental level, it's difficult because you can concede one goal.
"Then, when the opponent has nothing to lose, they start to believe and then you concede again and suffer.
"That is not good, it's a bad feeling. It's true that it's a different competition. It's bad to lose, I'm not happy and the players are disappointed. It's not a good feeling when you lose."
After impressive results against Real Madrid and Liverpool in their previous two outings, many expected Spurs to pile the pressure on West Ham and their beleaguered manager Slaven Bilic - instead it was Pochettino left with questions to answer.
Asked whether complacency had crept into his Tottenham side, Pochettino added: "Maybe.
"In the second half we should have approached the game like it was 0-0, but the second half was different. We conceded the way that is difficult to accept.
"We have to keep going. We have to understand that after Real Madrid and Liverpool it's difficult to keep the motivation, it's difficult to keep the energy.
"When you play a team who have a lot of quality but are down and receiving a lot of criticism, to give them the opportunity to come alive is disappointing.
"You have to be more mature when you're 2-0 up."
