Poch says he has been talking to players individually and collectively for this reason

Tottenham Hotspur are undoubtedly enduring their worst run of form since Pochettino took over as manager more than five years ago.

Twelve games played and only three wins secured, with unexpected losses coming at the hands of Newcastle United, Leicester City, Brighton, and even League Two Colchester United.

A number of Spurs players have been underperforming over the last two months, including the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, and Christian Eriksen, all of whom see their contracts run out at the end of the season.

Pochettino has now revealed that he has been talking to his players both collectively and individually of late, as a number of his current crop have never experienced a difficult period like this before.

In fact, he says that 99% of the players at the club have enjoyed a positive period over the last five years, so this period of pressure and poor form is very new to them.

Poch said (Football London): “I am talking to the group collectively and individually. It’s different way to approach a player than a group. You asked Harry if it was his worst period. For many of our players it is the first time they are in tough period. People expect something and they cannot deliver it to their expectations. This is new for them, but I think it is a good opportunity for them to grow and become mature in the future.

“Football is so dynamic you need to always think about tomorrow. It’s going to be a great experience and for sure we have the capacity and quality to turn this negative around. The last few games weren’t great in terms of results and performance. But we need time to build our performance.

“When you’re in good period and full of confidence everything is going well and it’s easy to play because you have the talent and the quality to do so. When the tough moment arrives sometimes it’s not easy to connect with team-mates and it’s difficult to do the things that before you were doing so easily. That is normal because it’s the pressure and the stress.

“You believe you need to run more than it’s not like this. We need to show we are all together, we need to show we are with the manager, we need to show we care, to run, run, run more. Sometimes, though, it’s better to run less and not spend so much energy thinking.

“When you have experience of these situations, it’s so important the leadership inside to the pitch. Nearly all the players – 99 per cent of them – have enjoyed a good period at the club in the five-and-a-half years we have been here. It had always been very positive. So this, what is happening now, is a very new thing for us.”

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