UEFA CL: Pochettino hoping to do better than last season in Group Stage

Mauricio Pochettino says he is hoping to replicate more than last season’s performance in the UEFA Champions League Group stage.  

Spurs will play Bayern Munich today at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and according to the manager; he wants to be in a better position after the first three matches. Tottenham as at Day three of last season Champions League in Group B had recorded a point in the midst of Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven.

Pochettino wants to be in a better position by beating Bayern Munich when they visit London this evening.

"We hope to win tomorrow and be in a better position than last season when we had one point from three games. In a long season, you need to be strong in your mentality. To have a clear idea, who we are and where we want to arrive is the most important thing," he said in yesterday's pre-match press conference.

Spurs played a 2-2 drawn game with Olympicos at the Red Star Stadium in the opening game of UEFA’s tournament. They lost to Leicester in the English Premier League and were eliminated out of the League Cup before beating Southampton 2-1 on Saturday.

"I am so happy with the squad and we're in a position where everything is possible. It’s normal to talk when you don’t get the results everyone expects. In football you must be motivated. We need to be calm and be strong in our mentality. The most important thing is the belief and spirit."

When you analyse the last five months it’s so clear that we need to evolve and evolution needs to be new ideas and ways to motivate the players from the coaching staff to try to do something different. We are the first to review how we work. We are using different systems, new methodologies to make things more attractive to the players,” Pochettino said.

He refused to underrate the German side and branded them as one of the favorites to win the UEFA Champions League

"Bayern are a club that every season try to prepare themselves to win the competition because their history says that. It’s a club that can be one of the contenders for sure to win the Champions League."

Niko Kovač, Bayern coach has also acknowledged Spurs for their ability to compete with the big clubs. Pochettino’s side were finalist in last season’s tournament after succumbing to Liverpool FC by 2-0.

"In my option, Tottenham is a very positive light in European football. They are now able to compete with the big teams, even though it didn't look like that six or seven years ago. [Pochettino] has done a great job and this is an example for others that patience is important."

The Bayern boss analyzed a few tactics of the Spurs game play and revealed on his team will influence the game with their “mental and physical resilience to respond to their new challengers."

“[Tottenham] will give it their all from the first minute and put us under pressure. The football Tottenham play is very beautiful to watch and it's innovative and creative. Harry Kane is sensational in the Premier League, week in and week out. There is nothing that he cannot do. He and Robert Lewandowski are two of the best strikers in the world," he added.