Ricardo Rocha believes Tottenham cracked under the weight of heavy pressure this season.
Spurs defender says team cracked under pressure
Ricardo Rocha believes Tottenham cracked under the weight of heavy pressure this season.
The North Londoners were expected to challenge for a UEFA Champions League place after finishing fifth in the Premier League last season and indulging in a summer of heavy spending.
However, a dreadful start saw Spurs languishing at the wrong end of the table, while their woeful form also cost manager Martin Jol his job.
Rocha firmly believes the squad simply folded under the weight of expectation to improve on an impressive 2006/07 campaign.
"We had a very good pre-season, won nearly all the games and the team was nearly the same as last season," said Rocha.
Pressure
"Perhaps it results from the pressure because, after the great recovery we made last season, when we achieved fifth place, people expected the team to do a bit better and raised the bar.
"The fans also started to create some expectations and, when things started to go well, the pressure was enormous and we didn't manage to withstand it."
The Portuguese defender acknowledges Spurs' defending has not been up to scratch - which in turn has piled the pressure on the strikers to improve their output.
"We are still lacking defensively, but we mustn't lose morale. We've been worried about the defence for a long time," he continued.
"It's impossible to win if you concede two or three goals in every game. We know it may be more difficult to achieve, but we have to keep working with hope."
