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Cape Town - Mauricio Pochettino has rubbished talk Tottenham were distracted by their upcoming mid-week Champions League semi-final with Ajax as they were defeated by West Ham.
Spurs put in a leggy and lethargic performance as West Ham became the first opposition team to score and win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Michail Antonio’s second-half goal giving them a 1-0 success.
A gruelling fixture schedule and lengthy injury list took their toll on Pochettino’s side and it is hardly the preparation they will have wanted ahead of the biggest game in their recent history on Tuesday.
Pochettino admitted his side suffered from ‘stress and fatigue’ but insisted they did not have one eye on their crucial mid-week clash.
"I don’t believe, we cannot say now we were thinking about Tuesday," he said.
"When the stress and fatigue arrived that is our reality.
"We are a very competitive team when we are with full energy, we are so focused.
"The stress and the fatigue arrived, we are competing with circumstances that are not the best.
"Nothing to say, the effort is there and is fantastic, but I’m disappointed with the result, because that result wasn’t in our plan, but that is football.
"I am disappointed of course because it’s a setback and we wanted to win the three points to be in our position and arrive to the Champions League game in a very good mood and way, but it wasn’t and now we need to move on.
"Now it’s not about wasting time, it’s to recover and try again Tuesday to be ready to play."
