Poch urges Spurs to continue momemtum

Mauricio Pochettino wants Tottenham to show they have learned how to back up a big win with a run of form.

Spurs beat Premier League leaders Chelsea 2-0 on January 4 and return to league action when they host recent bogey side West Brom on Saturday.

They have not beaten the Baggies at White Hart Lane in five years and were held to a damaging 1-1 draw towards the end of last season as their title hopes faltered.

Pochettino’s men have form for beating their fellow Premier League title hopefuls having turned over unbeaten Manchester City in October.

But they then went on a seven-game winless streak in all competitions after the game that was heralded a watershed victory over Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues.

“Remember a few months ago after City, I think now it’s a moment to show we learned,” Pochettino said when asked about continuing on after a big win.

“We have in front a very tough game and we need to show that we learned from a few months ago. If you remember we dropped our performance a bit after a fantastic victory.

“After Chelsea it’s a great opportunity to show that we deserve it and to keep our momentum is key.

“I was pleased after Chelsea because it wasn’t our best game but we were able to compete. That’s what we missed a little bit last season, to compete better in some games.

“Today it’s about maturity and learning from this period. It doesn’t mean that we will win every game. It’s important to show that maturity we did against Chelsea, that is important for trying to be more realistic and fighting for a bigger objective.”

Spurs have already followed up the Chelsea win with an FA Cup third-round victory over Aston Villa, but Pochettino admits West Brom – whose last defeat at Spurs came in January 2012 – offer a tough test of their recent good form.

“It will be a difficult game,” he added.

“If you saw the games West Brom played against Chelsea or Arsenal, they were very well organised.

“We expect a very tough game and it’s certain they will make it very difficult for us. They will put us in a very difficult situation without space to play — it will be difficult to find space to create a lot of chances.

“But we have time to work and we will see what happens.

“We are focused and we know we need to play then it’s about delivery and finding that space on the pitch to create lots of chances. In Premier League, it’s always tough to find that space to create.”