Spurs boss happy with quality at his disposal

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON • Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino insisted that he is satisfied with a quiet transfer window as his team continued to make all the right noises.

Spurs kept their Premier League title challenge on track as Harry Kane's double inspired a 3-0 win over Norwich City on Tuesday.

Tottenham are only five points behind leaders Leicester City after climbing above bitter London rivals Arsenal into third place thanks to a dominant display at Carrow Road.

"I am very happy with the squad we have," said Pochettino, whose side remain unbeaten away from home since the opening day of the season. "We have enough quality to fight for different competitions.

"We are in the process where it is difficult to add the right player, you can see every week that it is difficult to find the right player to improve our squad. I believe in my squad. The players showed that we can trust them."

The Argentinian's only signing in last month's transfer window was 17-year-old midfielder Shilow Tracey from sixth-tier Ebbsfleet United. That meant the White Hart Lane faithful did not get the back-up striker to Kane that they were hoping for.

Yet, Spurs were not short of firepower on Tuesday. Dele Alli opened the scoring early on and Kane added a first-half penalty after Alli was fouled in trying to follow up Kane's saved shot. Kane then wrapped up the points in the final moments.

Tottenham's third successive league win and fifth victory in a row in all competitions added to the growing feeling that Pochettino's vibrant young team are capable of securing not only a top-four finish but also possibly the club's first English title since 1961.

The only worrying moment for their travelling fans was the sight of Alli being substituted shortly after half-time.

"He was a little dizzy, he felt unwell and with advice from the doctor, we took the decision to substitute him for Nacer Chadli," Pochettino said. "It's always better not to take a risk but now he feels much better. It's not a serious problem."

In contrast to upwardly mobile Tottenham, Norwich have now lost their last five matches in all competitions and are languishing just two points above the relegation zone.

Norwich's manager Alex Neil said: "Once you concede in the first minute and a half, we make it difficult for ourselves.

"The Spurs penalty is the softest penalty I've seen all season. We didn't get the fair share of the decisions and that cost us."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 04, 2016, with the headline Spurs boss happy with quality at his disposal. Subscribe