Pochettino to stick with Vorm despite cup error

Mauricio Pochettino has placed his faith in goalkeeper Michel Vorm despite a costly blunder in the FA Cup against Leicester City.

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino has pledged to continue to use goalkeeper Michel Vorm for Spurs’ domestic cup fixtures.

Since moving from Swansea City in the off-season, Vorm is yet to make a Premier League appearance, but has played in six out of seven of Spurs’ League Cup and FA Cup ties.

However, Vorm was at fault for Leicester City’s winning goal in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, as he allowed Jeffrey Schlupp’s tame volley to creep into the net in stoppage time.

Spurs take a 1-0 lead to Sheffield United in the League Cup semi-final second leg on Wednesday, and Pochettino says Vorm will retain his place.

“This is football. He made two big saves against Leicester,” said Pochettino. “His attitude is fantastic and nothing has changed. In one action he conceded a goal.

“He made a mistake. Every player can make a mistake, we must give him support and confidence.

“I think it should be normal to play Michel. This is football. All games are important. He had a good performance [against Leicester].”

Pochettino says the return leg at Bramall Lane will be a difficult balancing act for Spurs, who will look to kill off the tie but must not leave themselves too open, with only a slender advantage.

“I think the pressure is the same as it was in the home game. we want to get to the final. But after the first leg we need to be careful. Though we need to play freely. We need to score.

“We need to be 100 per cent focused. Our fans expect us to arrive in the final at Wembley. But we need to play better than Sheffield, show more energy than Sheffield and try to fight.

“For me we need to go there thinking it is 0-0. I believe we will need to score. We have to forget about the first leg and show the mentality to win.

“When I speak about being more aggressive it is in the right way. We need to fight to get on the ball and instil our game.”