Spurs boss: Trip to Barcelona has done us the world of good ahead of FA Cup clash with Colchester
Mauricio Pochettino believes this week’s training camp in Barcelona has done his Tottenham squad the world of good as they prepare to visit Colchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup tomorrow (Saturday).
Spurs flew to sunny Spain after their 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday – but Pochettino says it was far from a holiday.
“We trained a lot, the players maybe trained more than if we were here [in England],” said the head coach. “It was a fantastic three or four days.
“We only had Sunday off. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we trained very hard and it was very good weather and a very good atmosphere - it was unbelievable.
“I think we achieved the objectives. It was very good for the team, for team building, and it was fantastic to share three or four days all together.”
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Tomorrow’s trip to Colchester will probably feel less glamorous, by comparison, and the home side are bottom of League One.
But Pochettino said: “I think the FA Cup is an exciting competition to play in and I am excited to play at Colchester tomorrow, on a different pitch, in a different stadium, at a different level.
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“You can see the reality of football and the smell – everything is different. It’s true we’ve come from Barcelona but we planned to do that one and a half months before.
“We’ve tried to watch a lot of their [Colchester’s] games. We need to be focused on us, to show big motivation and I think for us it’s important to be in the next round, but first we need to be very consistent in our game and to be better than them.
“They are strong and the games they have played in League One are not a reference. It’s true they are not in a very good place but you know the FA Cup is different – it’s one game and to play in their stadium is always difficult.”
Ryan Mason is still out of action but Pochettino said: “He’s very close to training with the team, and Alex Pritchard too. You know that Jan Vertonghen and Clinton Njie are injured, and the other players are in a good condition to play tomorrow.”
Follow me on Twitter @BenPearceSpurs
