Tottenham v Swansea City: Pochettino out to banish League Cup disappointment

Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham cannot dwell on their League Cup final defeat as they prepare to face Swansea City.

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino has urged his side to forget their League Cup final loss to Chelsea and turn their attention to Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Swansea City.

Pochettino’s side were beaten 2-0 at Wembley on Sunday by London rivals Chelsea, three days after being knocked out of the UEFA Europa League at Fiorentina’s hands.

It leaves the Premier League as Spurs’ only avenue to European qualification, and Wednesday sees them face an in-form Swansea side quickly becoming a rival for a continental berth.

A haul of 10 points from the last 15 available has lifted Garry Monk’s side to eighth in the league – four points behind Spurs having played a game more.

However, Pochettino says his side will focus solely on their midweek challenge at White Hart Lane, rather than lofty ambitions of a return to the UEFA Champions League.

“Our challenge is the next game. We can’t speak about the top four until the end of the season. We will try to get three points against Swansea,” he told reporters.

“We need to forget about the final and move forward. We need to recover our legs and our minds because it’s tough, but it’s more positive than negative.

“It’s important to play finals. It was a good experience for me but I need to improve. I think you can always improve.”

A late Christian Eriksen strike handed Spurs the points at the Liberty Stadium in December’s reverse fixture, with Monk’s side having lost just three league games since that defeat.

Victory on Wednesday would see Monk’s side move within a point of Spurs and bolster Swansea’s hopes of a return to the Europa League.

With the Welsh club seven points away from equalling their record Premier League tally of 47, Monk says confidence is high among his squad.

“We are confident – that’s what victories do for you but we are aware that we are playing a very good side,” said Monk, who could welcome back Gylfi Sigurdsson into his matchday squad after a hamstring problem.

“They lost the final and they will want to bounce back as soon as possible. I would love to think it has dented their confidence but the top teams bring a good reaction and we will be preparing for the best Tottenham can give. 

“Now we have two wins in a row we want to get a third. Tottenham are a very good team and are doing well in the league, but we want to keep our run going.”