Football
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Pochettino, Forster claim Premier League monthly awards for February

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has been named the Premier League's Manager of the Month for February, while Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster was named top player.

Spurs took maximum points in February, securing victories over Norwich, Watford, Manchester City and Swansea, which had seen Pochettino's men move within two points of league leaders Leicester.

Tottenham are now five points behind the Foxes after taking just one point from their two games since the turn of the month, while they lost the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie with Borussia Dortmund 3-0 on Thursday, but Pochettino is confident the side will get back on track.

"I am not worried -- I know the circumstances," he said. "We need to accept some periods during 10 months that we will have good and bad times. We have always had things good.

"We need to accept some periods during the season, 10 months, that we will have good and bad times. We have always had things good. It has only been in the last few games not so much.

"The players are very sad but we have to take the positives. We have a big challenge against Aston Villa on Sunday. We are in a very good position in the league and we will do our best."

Pochettino has now claimed the Manager of the Month award three times since arriving in the Premier League with Southampton in January 2013.

Forster, meanwhile, took the Player of the Month prize after he kept three clean sheets to help Southampton to two wins and a draw from their four games in February.

Forster, who made his first appearance of the season on Jan. 13 after 10 months out with a knee injury, drew widespread plaudits for his performance in the 0-0 draw against Arsenal on Feb. 2.

The 27-year-old then helped Saints to successive 1-0 wins over West Ham and Swansea, extending his run of clean sheets to six games, before the 2-1 loss to Chelsea at the end of the month.

Forster, who has three England caps, went 708 minutes without conceding.

"It's obviously fantastic to win the award, but it's just another incentive to keep working hard and work as hard as I can until the end of the season," the former Celtic keeper told Southampton's official website.

"I'm obviously delighted to receive the award. Personally it was a good month for me, and as a team it was a great month as well.

"I think it was a good month all round. We put in a lot of good performances as a team with a good run of clean sheets.

"If you're doing that then it's easier to win games."

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