Tottenham Hotspur may have secured a hard-fought three points at home against Southampton today, but they certainly did it the hard way.
They looked to be 1-0 up and in control in the first half before Serge Aurier picked up two yellow cards in the space of four minutes.
Hugo Lloris then had a moment of madness in the Spurs goal as he attempted to Cruyff turn past the approaching Saints forward.
Lloris managed to leave the ball behind, allowing Danny Ings to tap home the simplest of finishes, leaving the Frenchman in a heap on the pitch.
Pochettino has jumped to his captain’s defence, stating that Hugo should not be blamed as he is told to play that way.
He also labelled Lloris as one of the top three or five keepers in the world, which was backed up by Hugo’s sensational second-half performance.
However, the Argentine manager won’t want to see anymore Cruyff turns any time soon.
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Poch said (Football London): “In this moment it was tough, with the sending off and then we conceded in those circumstances. You don’t need to blame Hugo, blame me because I demand him to play in that way. Of course, this situation can happen, but I think the team showed unbelievable spirit after that. A few situations that could be a tough impact in a negative way today we showed an amazing spirit and of course helping our fans, who were amazing.
“I am happy, so happy because of the players, because of the fans and the staff because they deserve to be in a different situation to the one we’ve been living in in the past few weeks for sure.
“I am not surprised [by Hugo’s mental strength], we are talking about if not the best, the (top) three or five goalkeepers in the world. I don’t want anyone to blame him, in this action I want the blame because I demand him to do what he was doing. He is so strong mentally and of course, showed that he wasn’t affected by this situation.”
On whether Lloris is told to do Cruyff turns, Poch said: “No, but sometimes that happens, it’s football. When the player does something on the pitch that maybe can cause a situation like this for me, like Serge’s sending off or you miss a goal or miss a pass, I put this in the same level. The goalkeeper is in a different position, the responsibility is different but he showed great mentality but that is why he is one of the best.”
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