Mauricio Pochettino's message to Tottenham players: Keep calm and carry on
Hugo Lloris has revealed Mauricio Pochettino's one message to his Tottenham players during the title run-in: keep calm and carry on.
Spurs will be bidding to close the gap to Leicester back to five points when they host West Brom on Monday night, after the Foxes thrashed Swansea 4-0 on Sunday.
Time is running out for Pochettino's men as they chase their first title since 1961, but Lloris insists Tottenham's youthful squad will not wilt under the pressure.
"It is very clear in our minds. Every day, the speech of the gaffer is very clear - carry on and don't think too much," Lloris said.
"Whatever will happen, we try to just be focused on ourselves, that's the key, don't think too much about what is going on around us and all the words around the team.
"There are still four games, we know the opposition and it's very positive. Our last two games were great in terms of performances, in terms of results, so we just need to carry on.
"No one knows what is going to happen at the end of the season. Of course, our situation of playing every time after Leicester is not always the best way, but who knows the best way at the moment?"
Spurs play second again this weekend and the challenge is to ensure Leicester's emphatic win over Swansea does not affect their mindset ahead of the contest at White Hart Lane.
Pochettino told the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli they would not be allowed to attend the PFA Awards ceremony in London on Sunday night, despite both players being nominated for the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year prizes respectively.
It shows Tottenham are desperate to avoid distractions at this crucial point in the season and, while Lloris admits the players are following Leicester's matches, he says the key is to focus on themselves.
"Through TVs, through our phones, yes of course we try to know about their results," Lloris said.
"But if you don't do your job properly in your games, whatever will happen in Leicester games means nothing. That's why we must not lose focus on ourselves."
Tony Pulis has called on his West Brom side to give an improved performance when they return to north London.
The Baggies were easily beaten 2-0 at Arsenal on Thursday and are back in the capital just four days later for a clash with Pochettino's men.
Pulis admitted he may have made mistakes in the preparation for a rare Thursday night outing for his outfit and conceded they deserved nothing from their Emirates Stadium defeat.
But now the Welshman wants to see more from his players at White Hart Lane as they look to play their part in an enthralling Barclays Premier League title race.
"That was our most disappointing performance - Arsenal deserved to win because we looked flat," he said.
"We didn't do very well on Thursday - we have to dust ourselves down and put a performance in on Monday."
Pulis has said many times that he would like to see Leicester win the league but he has always been a fan of Pochettino and enjoys the challenge of aiming for a result in N17.
"White Hart Lane is one of my favourite grounds," he added. "It's a fantastic stadium with a great atmosphere.
"Everything to do with the club is first class. I enjoy taking teams there and we need to make sure we are up for it.
"I've said before that I would love to see Leicester win the League but if not then I'm also happy with Tottenham. It's great for football that there will be a different team picking up the trophy this year."
With Pulis unhappy with Thursday's performance he may look to make changes to his side, with the likes of Salomon Rondon, Jonas Olsson and Craig Gardner knocking at the door for a starting place.
Source: PAR
