Mauricio Pochettino exclusive: Tottenham have matured since last year's title disappointment
Sunday 30 April 2017 07:33, UK
Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham are better-placed to deal with stress than they were at this point last season.
Spurs' title challenge stumbled in late April last season, taking only two points from their last 12 available as Leicester won the Premier League title.
This time around, Spurs trail Chelsea by four points with five games remaining, with Arsenal first up in the north London derby on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports, and the Argentine boss says his side have more maturity to deal with the pressure.
Live Nissan Super Sunday
Asked if last season's failure gives them motivation this time, Pochettino told Sky Sports: "In some ways there is a motivation, in others it is an area to improve. First of all we had to find out why it happened, and then find a solution.
"The team is more mature than last season. It was a completely different moment. I feel now the team has more capacity to manage the stress, to fight to win the title, and I think we've improved a lot.
"Whether we win or lose, I think the team are at another level mentally."
Pochettino insists he is not concerned about finishing above Arsenal for the first time in 22 years because his focus is solely on winning the Premier League.
Victory will ensure Tottenham finish above their rivals but Pochettino is single-minded in his pursuit of Chelsea and a first league title since 1961.
"It's important to win because we know what it means to beat Arsenal in the derby, but our aim is to win the title, not to be above Arsenal. I don't care about Arsenal, I care about my players, my club, my fans, but not what happens next to us.
"But you can't ignore what happens in the past, the last 20, 30 years, and we know very well what it means. We will try to give our best, try to win, because if we are able to take the three points, we will be in the race for the title.
"Every game is a challenge, every game is important to focus and try to play. It will be a tough game, with a warm atmosphere, and our fans will be unbelievable again, like always. I'm sure they help us to have more energy.
"I like to have pressure. I'm always excited for the challenge, and I am so, so happy to be in that position."
The feel-good factor is rife at Spurs at present, having won their last eight Premier League games to put London rivals Chelsea under pressure at the top.
But Pochettino insists keeping that positive feeling is no easy feat, and opened up about the complexities of managing morale in the camp.
"In football it is never easy to have a good relationship with every person. Those who play are happy, those on the bench are 50 per cent happy, and 50 per cent disappointed, and the players who are not on the bench are 100 per cent disappointed. That is a relationship so difficult.
"I am always open to talk, my door is always open, but then it is up to the player to come or not. Sometimes there are different players, some more distant, some closer, but you need to respect. Sometimes it is so difficult to be close to the staff, sometimes it is easy.
"We will try, we have a very clear philosophy. Our motivation is always to know the person before the player; they are not machines, not robots, they are people who feel, have problems in life outside of the pitch."
