Newcastle 1-2 Spurs - Mauricio's verdict
Manager delighted with opening day win
Sat 11 August 2018, 17:20|Tottenham Hotspur
Mauricio Pochettino declared himself proud of the players after a hard-fought opening day win at Newcastle in the Premier League.
Mauricio’s starting line-up included seven players who were in action at the World Cup and five who reached the semi-finals of the tournament, keeping them in Russia until the weekend of 14-15 July.
You wouldn’t have known that after our flying start at St James’ Park when one of those players, Jan Vertonghen, headed us into an eighth-minute lead. Another, Dele Alli, also headed home on 18 minutes, a goal that ultimately proved the winner with Joselu equalising for the home side in-between.
There were plenty of chances after that – Toon goalkeeper Martin Dubravka did well to keep out Moussa Sissoko and Dele in the second half while at the other end, Newcastle will point to hitting the woodwork twice through Mohamed Diame and Salomon Rondon, whose clear shooting chance was deflected onto the crossbar thanks to a last-ditch tackle from Vertonghen. Hugo Lloris also saved well from Ayoze Perez.
Ultimately though, it was job done on day one.
“It was good because with all the circumstances it was important to start the season in this way,” said Mauricio.
“Of course, Newcastle played well, a very difficult opponent and they created some chances but sometimes in football you need to make the effort to have some luck to win the games.
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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 11, 2018
“I feel very proud. The players showed great character and commitment. We fought hard and they deserve full credit because the mentality was amazing.”
Asked what pleased him the most, Mauricio added: “The capacity of the team to adapt, the staff, everyone - I want to congratulate everyone.
“It wasn’t easy to connect everything in a few days, a massive challenge, but we kept going and made a massive effort in our performance.”