Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has called upon Spurs’ supporters to bring their energy to Sunday’s derby at White Hart Lane, in a bid to lift his players following a midweek game in Azerbaijan on Thursday
Tottenham Hotspur face Chelsea FC in the noon kick-off on Sunday, having played two days before in the UEFA Europa League against QarabaAY FK — a full 48 hours after the Blues played in their own Champions League fixture on Tuesday.
As such, manager Mauricio Pochettino has called upon supporters at White Hart Lane to create a raucous atmosphere and lift his players for the London derby.
“We need our supporters to bring their best energy” – Pochettino
The Argentine manager previewed the game against Chelsea FC after his side’s Europa League win in Azerbaijan, and spoke at length about the importance of the atmosphere at White Hart Lane for Sunday’s game.
Pochettino is quoted by the official Tottenham Hotspur website as saying: “We need our supporters to bring their best energy. Ita s another tough game, another London derby, Sunday morning, we’ve had one day to prepare and we need to be ready.
“Wea re strong, we have a strong mentality, we have strong supporters and ita s true, a big atmosphere will help us.”
Pochettino refuses to comment on Chelsea FC woes, insists they are a great team
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Chelsea FC find themselves in the bottom half of the table, 10 points behind their opponents on Sunday, but Pochettino refused to be drawn on the subject of the Blues’ early-season collapse, instead insisting that he expects a tough game from ‘great players’ led by a ‘great manager’.
“I dona t like to speak about (the situation of) other teams,” the Tottenham boss said. “Chelsea have great players, a great manager and ita s always tough against them. They have the time to recover in the Premier League.
a For us, ita s a very important game, another derby and as I said, we need that energy from our supporters. Wea ll make sure we arrive in good condition.”