Pochettino admits reality check for struggling spurs

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Pochettino Admits Reality Check for Struggling Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has acknowledged that his team has received a "reality check" after a disappointing run of results, which has seen them slip out of the top four in the Premier League.

Spurs have won just one of their last five league matches, drawing two and losing two, which has left them trailing behind their rivals in the title race. The team's struggles have been compounded by injuries to key players, including Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

"We need to be realistic, we need to be honest with ourselves," Pochettino said in a press conference ahead of Saturday's match against Brighton. "We're not in the position we want to be, and we need to work hard to get back to where we want to be.

"I think we've had a reality check, and we need to accept that we're not as good as we thought we were. We need to work hard, we need to be more consistent, and we need to be more clinical in front of goal."

Pochettino's comments come after a series of underwhelming performances from his team, which has seen them struggle to create clear-cut chances and convert them into goals. The manager has also been critical of his team's defending, which has been breached too easily in recent matches.

"We need to improve our defending, we need to be more solid, and we need to be more aggressive," Pochettino said. "We need to be more clinical in front of goal, and we need to be more creative in our attacking play.

"It's not going to be easy, but we need to work hard and we need to be more consistent. We need to be more like the team we were last season, when we were fighting for the title."

Spurs will be looking to get back on track against Brighton on Saturday, and Pochettino will be hoping that his team can rediscover their form and climb back up the table.