Mauricio Pochettino knows whether Tottenham will play well 'within 50 seconds' of kick-off

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Sam Long22 February 2017

Mauricio Pochettino says he knows within a minute of kick-off whether Tottenham will play well or not.

Spurs host Gent at Wembley on Thursday night aiming to overturn a one-goal deficit and reach the Europa League last-16.

But the north Londoners are unlikely to be able to repeat the slow start which cost them in last week's first leg in Belgium if they are to progress.

The national stadium is sold out for the visit of Hein Vanhaezebrouck's side, and Pochettino is aware that a positive start - like the one his players produced in Sunday's comfortable 3-0 FA Cup victory over Fulham - will be crucial.

“If you only watch 50 seconds, you don’t have to be a genius to know if there needs to be a change and to know we may struggle and will have some problems," Pochettino said when asked how long it takes to assess if his players are on the top of their game.

“In that moment, it’s too difficult to change. We changed the formation [against Gent] at half-time to try and lift them, but it was impossible.

"The problem is when you start not in a good way, it’s too difficult to change that perception and then you give a very good signal to the opponent that you are not focused on the game.”

"You need to change that mentality," Pochettino added.

Meanwhile, Spurs have struggled to replicate their stellar White Hart Lane form at their temporary home this season.

Spurs only won one of three Champions League fixtures at the national stadium but Harry Kane is adamant the ground should not be used as an "excuse" for poor performances.

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