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Pochettino won't blame lack of transfers for Spurs' slump

Cape Town - Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino says he is calm despite three consecutive defeats and insists he does not blame the club's lack of transfers.

The north London outfit looked good in their opening three Premier League games, beating Newcastle, Fulham and most impressively Manchester United at Old Trafford.

However, Pochettino's side lost away at Watford and at home to Liverpool in their next two league outings, before suffering a 2-1 loss against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, in a game that they led until the last five minutes.

Some have suggested that Spurs' decision not to add any new faces to their squad in the off-season has now come back to haunt them, as the players struggle with fatigue, but Pochettino insists that is not an excuse for their performances.

Asked if the lack of transfer activity has influenced their poor run of form, Pochettino said: "No I stick with the decision we made in the past. Now it's easy to blame or regret different things, that is the easy way to avoid responsibility. I'm not going to avoid responsibility.

"The group is, of course, a little bit anxious about winning games because it is normal when you don't win the atmosphere and the energy is different but that happens. Sometimes it is good to feel the pain of defeat, not only one but two or three.

"After Manchester United the perception was completely different, now after three defeats all seems different but not under my eyes. I am so relaxed. I'm so calm. I know football very well.

"When you win you get a lot of praise sometimes you don't deserve, when you lose you need to keep the balance and accept the criticism and that people are going to think different."

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