Mauricio Pochettino feels Tottenham losing 'soft' tag
Spurs host Arsenal in north London derby on Saturday - watch in-game clips via the Sky Sports app
Friday 1 March 2019 18:00, UK
Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham are losing the perception of being "a little bit soft".
Tottenham host Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday knowing a defeat - which would be their third in a week - would leave them just one point above their rivals.
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Arsenal whitewashed Spurs in the season before Pochettino arrived, beating them three times without conceding in 2013/14, but in his 11 north London derbies since that, the Argentine has only tasted defeat three times - most recently in December at the Emirates.
"The history of the results against Arsenal was not great before I arrived," said Pochettino.
"To change the perception, the mentality or reality is a tough thing to do and of course the team is doing a fantastic job of that in the last four or five years.
"And I think the team is changing the perception that Tottenham was a little bit soft.
"But the most important thing is that we are fighting in every single game.
"We can finish first, second, third, fourth or fifth but the most important is that the team is fighting and then it is about if we can cope with the competition.
"Sometimes it is about quality, sometimes mentality but because football is not just one area that you need to care about, it is many things."
