Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that his team became complacent after their win against Manchester United in August.
Spurs won their first three games of the new Premier League season, most notably securing a 3-0 win at Old Trafford thanks to a brace from Lucas Moura and a Harry Kane header.
In the wake of that performance Pochettino’s men were being touted as possible title contenders, however, their form quickly declined, starting with a 2-1 defeat against Watford at Vicarage Road before the international break.
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The players returned to club duty two weeks later for a Wembley date against Liverpool, but the Reds emerged with three points after a comfortable 2-1 victory, with the Champions League returning for both clubs in the following week.
Spurs travelled to the San Siro to face Inter Milan and despite taking the lead through a Christian Eriksen strike and dominating the game, the Italian’s stole two late goals to secure a 2-1 victory.
The Lilywhites finally got back on track with a win by the same scoreline against Brighton on Saturday, but Pochettino has revealed that the key reason for the team’s troubles since the win against United has been resting on their laurels – as Sky Sports reports.
The Argentine boss spoke to Gary Neville at FIFA’s ‘The Best’ award ceremony on Monday, stating: “Confidence is so important in football. It was a difficult few games, but I think the team realises now that we cannot underestimate the competitions.
“The Premier League of course, to beat Manchester United was like, ‘Okay, the job was done’, and I felt that straight away after Manchester United.
“That is why now we realise that we need to increase our level. Of course, we need time to adapt but I am happy after Brighton. We won the game and it was fantastic for us.”
Next up for Tottenham is a home game against Watford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, before a return to action in the Premier League away to Huddersfield on Saturday.
Supporters will be expecting Pochettino’s side to build on their victory against Brighton with two more wins, as the fixtures start to pile up in their challenge for glory on both European and domestic fronts.