Pochettino wouldn’t be happy to finish fourth

Mauricio Pochettino has said he would not accept a fourth-placed finish at the end of the season despite his Tottenham Hotspur side facing an uphill battle to qualify for next year’s Champions League.

Tottenham are currently seventh in the Premier League table, three points behind Liverpool in fourth.

They travel to sixth-placed Burnley on Saturday before a run of festive fixtures against Southampton, Swansea City and West Ham United.

Asked if, at this stage of the season, be happy to finish in fourth, Pochettino said: “No. Do I want higher than that? Yes, of course. I am not a comfortable person. I love to take a risk.

“I feel I am a winner. Sometimes the winners lose too and they have to lose to feel the pain. But I never accept a result before it is played. Never.”

Pochettino added that he had “no doubt” his side would recover strongly from last weekend’s 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City.

“The reaction will be good,” he said. “The team trust each other and what we are doing. Always the ambition is to be as high as possible and we know we need to win in this busy period.

“We need to keep going. Belief is so important, to change the dynamic, win games and be close to the top four. It is a long way until the end of the season.”

Tottenham looked set to defeat Burnley when the two sides met at Wembley in August, but a late Chris Wood equaliser cost Pochettino’s side two points.

“I was so frustrated with that situation as we dominated the game and the way we dropped two points was terrible for us,” Pochettino said.

“At home they are a very tough side and for us it’s a massive three points. We are going to have a very tough game and we need to be ready to fight. It will be a battle.”

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