Poch reveals reason behind Alderweireld recall

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed the the reason why he recalled Toby Alderweireld back into his Tottenham starting line-up.

The Belgian defender who is being linked with a summer move away from the club due to his protracted contract talks slotted in alongside Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez in a central defensive trio for the defeat at West Bromwich Albion.

Alderweireld has not featured in the starting eleven before yesterday since th draw at Brighton, with the Spurs boss citing the fact when asked previously that he was happy with the form of his current eleven. However, Pochettino felt a change was needed.

Despite the defeat, Toby showed glimpses of his quality and if we really do want to push on and challenge in future seasons, how can we do so when we are losing truly world class players. Put your hand in your pocket Levy and start paying players on parity with the rest of the top four.

“I think the last few performances wasn’t great,” he told Football London.

“I think we need more consistency and then to try to find with our full-backs to go forward and stay wide. I am happy because I think the system worked. But I think today to play with one or another system is not the key. I think the key is to be more aggressive. I think the team played well.

“Maybe some details [can improve] but to be clinical in front of goal is our challenge, because I think this type of game, with the chances, possession, the possibility to play in the last third or in the opposite, half, we need to create more – more one v ones, be more aggressive, run forward in behind their defence.

“I think we played like ‘ok, next action we are going to [score]. If we don’t score, ok, next, next next’.

“I think we need to realise we need to be more aggressive from the beginning and don’t wait, and to score if we have the chances, and then manage the game. But it was like ‘ok, we are going [to score] because we are dominating the game’. That is a little bit what punished us.”

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