Tottenham Are Not Title Favourites Says Manager

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has played down Claudio Ranieri's claim that Tottenham are favourites to win the Premier League. On Monday, Ranieri asserted that Leicester were the firm outsiders in the race for the title, despite his side currently sitting two points clear of second-placed Spurs at the top of the table. 

The Italian suggested Spurs were favourites to clinch their first league crown since 1961 but with 11 matches of the season remaining, Pochettino refused to be drawn into any potential mind games with the Leicester manager by saying “no, it was a joke, I laugh a little. I think in football it is good to play a little bit like this too and joke, but I think we know from the beginning of the season what our objective was.  If you remember the last season, and the end of the last season, our objective was clear to reduce the gap on the team that was on top.  I think we learn a lot and improve in our way and only we need to fight in every game and keep the same mentality. Today we are in a position that it's clear we are in a very good position but there are still 11 games to play”

Tottenham will aim to make it seven successive Premier League victories when they take on London rivals West Ham at the Boleyn Ground on Wednesday.  With the north London derby against Arsenal at White Hart Lane to come on Saturday, Spurs are facing a potential crucial week in their challenge for the title, but Pochettino does not believe the week can be labelled as decisive. He said “It is not only three points it means a lot more than three points because every time you play a derby against the likes of West Ham and Arsenal it's more important for our supporters and we feel the same as our supporters they are very important games.  I think it is impossible to speak about this as a decisive week. I think we have a very important week and games because it means a lot to take three points at Upton Park, and afterwards to play against Arsenal at home and try to win the three points too. I think we are in a good place but for us always it is the same - to try to win the next game. For me, they [Leicester] are on the top and they have the pressure too like all the teams are below. But we don't feel that, only for us it is important to keep our level, our fitness, our mentality and we will see what happens. It is too soon to start to speak about the end of the season”