Mauricio Pochettino insists he is proud of his Tottenham Hotspur players despite the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Capital One Cup final.
In a matter of days we have seen our side exit both the Europa League at the hands of Fiorentina and also pass up the chance of silverware with defeat at Wembley.
Very few Spurs players came out of the match against Chelsea with any credit. Nabil Bentaleb showed the most heart and determination, but too many players including Andros Townsend and Nacer Chadli were well below par.
Pochettino told the press: “We played how we always need to play in a final. I feel proud of my players because I think they played very well, but in the same way disappointed for our supporters and for our players because we made a big big effort.
“It’s hard but we have to look forward.”
Unlike Chelsea, Spurs were involved in European competition in midweek, losing the second leg of their Europa League tie with Fiorentina in Italy, and Pochettino felt that was a factor.
Asked about tiredness possibly having an effect on his team in the final, the Spurs boss said: “It’s always difficult because in preparing for this final we played on Thursday in Florence. That is not an excuse, but it is the reality.
“But we have to improve. This was the first final for a lot of the players and we are proud.
“This is the first step for this group, because this group is strong, and we showed character and personality.”
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