Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: Timing of Chelsea fixture is a joke

I know what it means to play against West Ham.

Spurs have been lauded for their young team, but veteran experience is vital if they hope to really push for a place in the league’s top four.

Tottenham’s pressing to win the ball back is relentless, which was a factor in their third goal, and they never gave West Ham a minute’s peace.

West Ham United: Adrian, Winston Reid, Aaron Cresswell, James Tomkins, Cheikhou Kouyate, Andy Carroll (Nikica Jelavic), Carl Jenkinson, Diafra Sakho, Mark Noble (Capt) (Alex Song), Victor Moses (Mauro Zarate), Manuel Lanzini. It was four with 12 minutes left via Kyle Walker, who angled an outside-of-the-boot shot into the top corner.

With countryman Toby Alderweireld on his right and the ever-improving Danny Rose on his left, Vertonghen is once again imbued with the self-confidence that made him such an excellent player in that first year in England.

Mousa Dembele, all feints and quick feet, looks a player reborn.

Richard Almeida gave Qarabag a seventh-minute lead from the penalty spot when the teams met at White Hart Lane, before a Son Heung-min double on his home debut helped Tottenham to dispatch their opponents 3-1. Lloris received a standing ovation from the home fans behind the goal and at full-time, expressed his gratitude by clapping all sides of the ground.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has explained that he is not pleased with his side’s upcoming fixture schedule.

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic was gracious in defeat, saying: “It was a shock to be fair”.

Dele Alli has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season but the 19-year-old was less influential playing further forward behind Kane.

“I don’t think you need to think too much about the league table”.

“We created a lot of chances [against West Ham], we looked solid and we’ve given ourselves a great platform leading into the Chelsea game next weekend, as well as Qarabag on Thursday night”. “They were better than us”.

Tottenham have lost just once in this Premier League campaign, but Eric Dier tempered expectations. “I will be punching myself that I didn’t get a hat-trick”. To find their last defeat, you have to go all the way back to their season opener.

“It was a high level of performance”.

He told West Ham’s website: “I would like to say publicly that both myself and David Gold have an excellent relationship with Daniel and we greatly admire the job he has done at his club. He (Pochettino) wants us to play at 100 per cent no matter what the score is or what time of the game it is”.

The service the lofty target man craves simply wasn’t provided, but you wonder how many games will follow that pattern under Bilic, a manager who arrived on the mandate of moving West Ham away from the hoofball ideals of Sam Allardyce and recruited accordingly during the summer.