Mauricio Pochettino must make sure Tottenham don’t hit the buffers after FA Cup exit

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Tom Collomosse22 February 2016

If Tottenham believe elimination from the FA Cup to be a blessing in disguise, they should use the memory of last season to banish that thought from their minds.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have only the Premier League and the Europa League on which to concentrate after the fifth-round defeat by Crystal Palace. In the race for the domestic title, they are two points behind leaders Leicester, while a 0-0 draw with Fiorentina on Thursday will be sufficient to reach the last 16 in Europe.

While the fixture burden will undoubtedly be eased, Spurs must be careful not to lose momentum.

When teams are alive in three or four competitions during this period of a campaign, it stretches the players’ physical capabilities but can forge a spirit that carries them through the pain barrier.

In English football, the best recent examples of this are Manchester United, who claimed the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999, and Liverpool, who won the FA Cup, Worthington Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001.

At this stage of last season, Spurs were only three points adrift of fourth-placed United in the table as they chased a place in the Champions League for 2015-2016. Victory over Chelsea at Wembley would have delivered the Capital One Cup, while in the Europa League they had a winnable tie against Fiorentina.

Tottenham vs Crystal Palace - player ratings

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Yet in the space of three days, Tottenham’s season hit the buffers. Fiorentina’s 2-0 second-leg win in Italy on February 26 sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory and on March 1, Chelsea beat them by the same score to win the Capital One Cup.

With 12 games remaining, Spurs still had a good opportunity to secure a top-four spot. But four defeats in that period — including a sequence of one win from six between April 5 and May 9 – meant Pochettino’s team ended the campaign six points adrift of United.

Pochettino seemed to have this in his mind when he described the tasks still ahead for Spurs. “The FA Cup was an exciting competition for us and we wanted to go for but this is a very tough period — every game we play is a final.

“It’s very difficult for the team and the squad, although that is not an excuse. We need to be ready against Fiorentina on Thursday, which is another final. We always try to play with high intensity, be focused and be proactive in our matches.”

The last two matches have also shown how much Spurs rely on four players — Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier and Harry Kane. Lloris’s shoulder injury meant Michel Vorm started in goal for the second time in succession and he was beaten at his near post by Martin Kelly for the only goal.

The decision to leave out Alderweireld meant Dier dropped into central defence, with Nabil Bentaleb replacing the England man in midfield. Bentaleb performed adequately but Dier has been outstanding this season as a holding player and Spurs missed his unselfishness and tactical intelligence.

Kane, of course, is the club’s only senior centre-forward. Nacer Chadli is again likely to deputise against Fiorentina — a necessary move with so many matches ahead but one that certainly leaves Spurs a little vulnerable for a tie that could still go either way.

They will hope for a little more luck than against Palace, whose forward, Emmanuel Adebayor, was able to celebrate victory on his first appearance at White Hart Lane since he left Tottenham last September. Heung-Min Son’s assertion that Spurs are “angry” to be out of the Cup should please fans. However tiring your schedule and whatever challenges are ahead, it is never wise to be happy with defeat.

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