28 January,2018 12:43 PM IST | United Kingdom | AFP
Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino questioned his Tottenham Hotspur players' appetite for the fight after were nearly knocked out of the FA Cup by fourth-tier Newport County. The Spurs manager was angered by his side's attitude during their fourth-round tie at Rodney Parade on Saturday where they were indebted to an 82nd-minute goal from Harry Kane that salvaged a 1-1 draw. Pochettino was unimpressed that Spurs took so long to rouse themselves against their fired-up Welsh opponents who deservedly led this match through a 38th-minute goal from Irish striker Padraig Amond.
It almost led to Spurs losing their first match since December 16, until England striker Kane's 30th goal of the season ensured a Wembley replay. "The team didn't show they wanted to get into the next round, which was disappointing," said Pochettino. Spurs have won plaudits for the attacking football they have played under their Argentinian manager in recent seasons but the hard fact is that it is 10 years since the north London club, eight-times FA Cup winners, last lifted a major piece of silverware -- the League Cup. "It's easy to say we want win trophies, but we missed a massive opportunity today to show we wanted it," said Spurs manager Pochettino. "I hope we have learned today that we have to fight to win things. "I heard the FA Cup was magic and today you didn't see any difference between a team in the Premier League and League Two."
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