Football
Kevin Palmer 10y

Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino played down stalling tactics vs. Arsenal

LONDON - Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino brushed off the accusations from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger that his players indulged in time wasting in the north London derby, and said he was satisfied with the point his side collected in the 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium.

Pochettino appeared to be on course for a glorious victory in his first match as Spurs boss against their near neighbours. Nacer Chadli fired the visitors into a second half lead, and the Argentine tactician seemed content despite Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's 74th minute equaliser for Arsenal.

Yet Wenger was quick to condemn Spurs after the game for what he saw as negative tactics to kill the game, even suggesting it did little to provide the spectators in attendance with the entertainment they were expecting.

"Spurs defended well and I give them credit for that, but they took every second they could again, to make the game last as little as possible," argued an agitated Wenger.

"I would like to see the referee deal with that in the proper way for once. They tried to make it as simple as possible, tried to gain time. Slowing the game down is normal and I understand it completely, but the referee's there to make the flow of the game respected and I would like an English referee to do it for once. Book players the minute they do it."

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Pochettino looked a little bemused when quizzed about Wenger's post-match criticisms of his players, as he did his best to avoid stepping into any confrontation with the Gunners boss.

"We tried to play in our way, tried to stick to our plan in the game, but, okay, this is football," said the Spurs boss. "When I analyse in this moment if we were wasting time, I think no."

Pochettinho was more forthcoming as he praised his team, who produced an encouraging performance to thwart an Arsenal side that have gotten used to victories against Spurs at Emirates Stadium in recent years.

"I think it is a good point," he added. "After the game, when we analyse it, I think Arsenal managed the ball, managed the possession.

"Our plan, as you saw on the pitch, was to be compact, to be able to receive in the defensive line and, after we recover the ball, to go forward quick to surprise Arsenal. It was an important point for us. We need to build our team."

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