Pochettino says change of formation helped Tottenham beat APOEL
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said a change of formation towards the end of the game against APOEL Nicosia was crucial for their victory.
Harry Kane scored his first Champions League hat-trick as Spurs made it two wins from two group games, but Pochettino says he was not happy with the way his side played in the second half.
“I wasn’t happy so we decided to change the system to improve and play better,” Pochettino said.
“We changed to a back four, we moved Kieran Trippier to the right and the decision was Serge Aurier out, and Fernando Llorente in front with Harry.
“Always you are trying to find solutions in the game for the team to play better. I think it was good in that moment to change because we scored two more goals.
“But Aurier came off only because you need to pull out someone when you decide to change the system.”
Pochettino insisted the clash in Cyprus was a “must-win” game and he congratulated his squad for dealing with seven first-team players being absent for the trip.
“The performance wasn’t fantastic but we showed we can compete in a very good way, on a very difficult pitch with a difficult atmosphere, and we gave our best,” he said.
