Mauricio Pochettino has called on his Tottenham players to change the feeling around the club against Borussia Dortmund after their north London derby defeat to Arsenal.
Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Gunners was Pochettino’s first in the league and he admits the mood was low during training on Sunday.
The squad, though, now fly out to Germany to face a Dortmund side who are without a win in all competitions since October and can take more than enough confidence from their European performances so far.
A 3-1 win over Peter Bosz’s side at Wembley set the tone in the opening Group Stage game, while an impressive draw at Real Madrid before another 3-1 win under the arch, this time against the holders, sealed their place in the knockout stages.
Speaking to the Spurs website, Pochettino has called on his players to banish their mood: “The players were still disappointed about the result, of course,” he said.
“That was our first time (Mauricio’s first league derby loss) in three-and-a-half years and yes, you feel bad and very disappointed. The effort was massive from the players trying to get a good result but we’re very disappointed for different reasons.
“Now we have to keep going and get ready for Borussia Dortmund. Okay, we’re already in the next stage of the competition but we want to win and try to change the feeling we have from the weekend.
“It’s always important to compete and to be focused on the next game and when you lose, it’s important to play as soon as possible to change that feeling.”
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