Poch calls on whole squad to deliver

Mauricio Pochettino says Spurs will need to call on their whole squad to achieve their ambitions of Champions League success and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

The Tottenham manager made seven changes to the team which beat Manchester City 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

Some of those changes were enforced – the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane - but others were made by a Pochettino mindful of the visit to the Etihad for the conclusion of the Champions League tie this Wednesday.

And speaking after his side’s comfortable 4-0 win over Huddersfield Town at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this lunchtime, Pochettino said the whole squad must play their part.

He said: “We all thought Sonny (Heung-min Son) would be the man to step up but Fernando (Llorente) did well and Moura’s hat-trick.

“They have the chance to show their quality. When you have 25 players they need to play, they need to have the opportunity to play, but of course I am so happy.

“The performance was very professional, I am happy for Lucas (Moura), he was great. We have a tough period ahead and we need all the players fit.

Son was left on the bench until late on, Pochettino not risking another of his senior stars after losing Alli and Kane.

Asked if the Spurs boss thought Alli, who suffered a fractured left hand against City in the week, would recover in time for the trip to the Etihad, Pochettino was coy.

He said: “At the moment we are not sure that he’ll play Wedensday. He’s doing some training but he is painful. It depends on the timing. Today it is difficult to know.”

Speaking of his side’s top four chances, the Spurs boss added: “It is going to be tough. We are fighting against big sides who are fighting to be in the top four.

“We are fighting against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. It is going to be a very tough race. To score lots of goals can help as goal-difference can be vital to achieve the top four.”