Tottenham must be ´nearly perfect´ to beat Chelsea – Pochettino

Tottenham need a “nearly perfect” performance to overcome Chelsea in Sunday’s League Cup final, according to Mauricio Pochettino.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino believes his side’s 5-3 victory over Chelsea in January is the blueprint for success in Sunday’s League Cup final.

Harry Kane struck twice, while Danny Rose, Andros Townsend and Nacer Chadli also got on the scoresheet for Tottenham, as they beat their London rivals by two goals in the Premier League on New Year’s Day.

It was Tottenham’s first win against Chelsea in all competitions since 2010 and Pochettino claimed that “nearly perfect” display is what is needed for his team to triumph at Wembley.

“You saw the game; our performance was nearly perfect,” the Argentinian manager said at his pre-match media conference on Friday.

“I think that we had a really good performance. We need to repeat the same performance to win the trophy.”

Pochettino added that victory was a critical achievement for the psychology of his squad, with Tottenham having gone 10 games without a win versus Chelsea.

The 42-year-old claimed motivation rather than tactics would decide which side lifted the trophy.

“I think that the motivation is full and you don’t need to prepare for the final. It’s only small details, tactically, because it’s Chelsea. We know Chelsea, Chelsea know us,” Pochettino said.

“And after, it’s about our performance and our motivation.”

He continued: “We’re looking forward to play. I think that our motivation is full, and I think not only for me but for a lot of the players, it’s a first final in their careers. So I think the motivation is full.”