Pochettino questions Tottenham motivation after FA Cup escape

After Harry Kane's late strike earned Tottenham a replay against Newport County, Mauricio Pochettino questioned his side's motivation.

Published : Jan 28, 2018 14:41 IST

Tottenham now has a fixture congestion to overcome with five matches to be played in two weeks.
Tottenham now has a fixture congestion to overcome with five matches to be played in two weeks.
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Tottenham now has a fixture congestion to overcome with five matches to be played in two weeks.

Mauricio Pochettino said Tottenham lacked motivation in their FA Cup fourth round tie at Newport County after Harry Kane's late goal spared the Premier League side's blushes.

Padraig Amond's header had the League Two outfit on track for a famous upset at Rodney Parade before Kane tapped in at the back post in the closing stages on Saturday.

Read: Kane spares Spurs FA Cup embarrassment

Newport earn a lucrative replay at Wembley as a result but Pochettino was unimpressed with a flat performance from Spurs despite the Argentine having named a strong team.

"A little bit relieved, well a lot," Pochettino told reporters. "We were very disappointed with the first half, in the last half hour we created some chances and deserved the draw.

"We lost every challenge in the first half, difficult to play forward and always playing safe. The team didn't really show that they wanted to go through to the next round.

"If we want to go to the next step we need to be strong. That is the competition. We showed the ambition and the decision to play. 

"We want to go further and try to fight to win the competition. We need to be more motivated though."

Spurs have been linked with moves for Lucas Moura of Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux winger Malcom to boost their attacking options.

But Pochettino would not be drawn on whether the club was likely to conclude any deals before the transfer window closes on Wednesday.

"There are a lot of rumours about different players," Pochettino added. "We'll see what happens in the next few days."

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