The North London derby on Saturday was a crucial game for both Arsenal and Tottenham in their quest to qualify for the Champions League. The teams ended up sharing the spoils at the end of the ninety minutes, which meant that Spurs retained their four-point lead over the Gunners.
However, it was the visitors who opened the scoring on Saturday through Aaron Ramsey. The scoreline stayed that way until half-time, as Spurs were staring down the barrel of a third straight defeat.
In the end, the Lillywhites managed to drag themselves back into the game courtesy of a Harry Kane penalty, which proved crucial in breaking the negativity around the club.
Tottenham defender Danny Rose has revealed that it was Pochettino’s half-time team talk that made the difference on Saturday.
The 28-year-old said that Spurs were under pressure going into the half time due to their recent defeats and Pochettino’s inspiring team talk helped the team recover.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Rose said, “We were on the back of a really difficult week. There’s no added motivation going into a north London derby but we can’t hide from the fact we were beaten at Burnley, we were beaten at Chelsea in the previous two games so there was more added pressure.
“The manager said some things at half-time and that was the turning point because he is usually really calm and collected. He normally talks to us at half-time and this time it was like he was really sending us to war.
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“That was one of the best things I have witnessed in football, his half-time team talk, and we kept going and that was the attitude he wanted to see in the second half.”
Rose also revealed that the players were surprised by the Argentine’s demeanour at half-time as he is usually extremely calm.
He added, “He normally talks, he’s really calm as you have all seen. But this time he was really passionate.
“I felt as if I was literally going into war after the team talk that he gave. It’s literally one of the best team talks I have been involved in since I have been playing football.
“We are not used to losing two games in a row. Something needs to change somewhere. Whether we need a rocket up our backsides, I think he just tried a different approach. But I liked what he did at half-time, it really got me firing.
“As usual, it made me want to fight for him, fight for my team-mates and fight for my club. Some people can either take to that or go the other way and I love seeing things like that.”
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