• Premier League

Pochettino blames Tottenham's troubles on tight pitch

Tottenham lost to Newcastle following a struggling second half performance at White Hart Lane © Getty Images

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Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is blaming the size of the White Hart Lane pitch for his side's home woes.

Spurs have lost three of five home league fixtures in the Premier League so far this season - against Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United - and Pochettino claimed the club's style has been hindered by having a relatively tight playing space to work with.

Tottenham have the third smallest pitch in the Premier League at 100m by 67m, according to the official statistics, behind QPR (100m by 65.85m) and Stoke (100m by 66m).

"Our style means we need a bigger space to play because we play a positional game," Pochettino said. "It's true that White Hart Lane is a little bit tight and it's better for the opponent when they play deep.

"On Sunday there were two shots from Newcastle - it was unlucky for us. And they play deep. West Bromwich play deep, Liverpool the same, they play very deep and it was difficult for us. We need time to adapt to our new set-up and to understand better our position on the pitch."

It isn't just the set-up that Pochettino is focusing on. Ahead of the League Cup clash against Brighton on Wednesday, he also said he has been working hard on changing his players' mentality.

"In football there is always big expectation," he said. "In Tottenham, in Espanyol, in Southampton, in Real Madrid and Barcelona, it's how you manage the pressure in your situation.

"We did a lot of work [on the psychological side] in groups and as individuals on the training ground, in meeting rooms and in my personal office.

"Always you need more time to change the habits. We talk about mentalities and changing habits. It is harder to work on. The mental process is always more slow than the physical or tactical. We know that our challenge is to change this mentality."

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