Mauricio Pochettino reacts to Tottenham 2-7 Bayern: 'We have to stay together'

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Tom Doyle1 October 2019

Mauricio Pochettino has called for Tottenham to "stay together" following their remarkable 7-2 Champions League home defeat against Bayern Munich.

Serge Gnabry scored four second-half goals and Robert Lewandowski grabbed two as Bayern humiliated Pochettino's men at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Gnabry, who had never scored before in the competition, completed the debacle for Tottenham with the seventh goal in the 88th minute, one minute after Lewandowski had scored his second.

Question marks will inevitably be raised over the future of Pochettino following such a remarkable defeat, and the Spurs coach held a lengthy inquest with his players in the dressing-room following the match.

Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Pochettino said: "I don't need too much time to explain. We played 30 mins well, started well, pressing high. But we were unlucky that we conceded in the first minute of the half.

"They were very clinical. After we scored the penalty for two we had chances to score the third. But from the 83rd and 88th minute we conceded three more goals.

"In football it can happen. Every single touch went in. We are very disappointed and very upset but we have to stay together. I think we are strong in our mentality.

"Maybe you are bored about my speech but football is today not yesterday. It is always is about the show. You have to do it today and tomorrow. It is not about experiences and what happened three months ago.

"We are disappointed. Every single touch from Bayern was clinical. They scored with every touch. It is tough to accept. You have to move on.

"This type of situation you have to face. It is tough and you need to be strong and keep going. Stay together, help each other and be all together. When you receive this type of result it is important to bounce back and believe in yourself. It is the only way to recover."

In Pictures | Tottenham vs Bayern Munich | 01/10/2019

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Last year's beaten finalists Tottenham, who squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Olympiacos in their opening game, again let a lead slip after Heung-min Son opened the scoring in the 12th minute.

Joshua Kimmich answered Son's strike three minutes later, cutting inside a defender and then letting fly inside the left post from 20 meters (yards).

Tottenham continued causing problems for Bayern's defence, but Mauricio Pochettino's side was to rue missed chances as the visitors gradually improved.

Lewandowski, already the scorer of 10 goals in six Bundesliga games this season, turned sharply and finished smartly to put Bayern in front just before half-time.

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Gnabry got off the mark in the 53rd after going past a number of Tottenham defenders, adding another within two minutes.

Harry Kane pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 61st after Kingsley Coman was penalized for a foul on Danny Rose.

But Gnabry ended any hopes Tottenham had of an equalizer when he completed his hat trick in the 83rd, then scored another for good measure after Lewandowski claimed Bayern's sixth.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

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