Tottenham goalkeeper criticises teammates for not being ‘aware’ of the importance of Bayer Leverkusen Champions League clash
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris felt his side were not ‘aware’ of the importance of his side’s Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen.
Spurs lost 1-0 to the German outfit on Wednesday night as Mauricio Pochettino’s team suffered a second defeat at their temporary home venue for European games, having also lost to Monaco back in September.
And Lloris was left extremely frustrated by his team’s performance which sees Spurs drop to third place in Group E.
“Yeah, very disappointed, very frustrated - maybe a bit upset too - because it is difficult to accept that kind of performance from us,” Lloris told talkSPORT.
“It was difficult to recognise our team. We are used to being very aggressive and very calm under pressure, but today it was the complete opposite.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have picked up a single victory in their last seven games and have suffered with injuries to key players such as Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld.
Lloris dismissed Spurs’ problems were solely down to the absence of the duo, but rather down to a lack of awareness in a crucial encounter for the north London side’s chances of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
“We cannot only depend on one or two players that we are missing at the moment. But we need to think as a team, we need to be united and in football there are ups and downs.
“But it is difficult because this game was very important and I didn’t feel that we were really aware about that. Because Leverkusen didn’t play a great game, they were just well organised and they had a few chances because of us, because we made too many mistakes.
“We failed, and it was difficult to keep a balance on the pitch. But we win together and we lose together and we need to learn quickly because there is a big, big game on Sunday."
Spurs currently sit in third place in Group E and face group leaders Monaco and CSKA Moscow in their two remaining games.