Pochettino relishes Southampton return

Spurs manager says he holds a special place for his former club

SOUTHAMPTON: Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino returns to former club Southampton on Wednesday with a feeling of gratitude, but also hopes that his side’s return to form on the road.

The north Londoners have not claimed an away victory since September, a run that has left them outside of the Premier League top four.

However, Spurs have won four of their last five games overall, which Pochettino believes can be the springboard to a title challenge.

"It's always special to go back," said the Argentine, who left Southampton in 2014 and joined Spurs.  "It was a special place for me and my family to have the possibility to start my career in the Premier League.

"It will always be a special place for me and I still have relationship with lot of people there. It will be a good opportunity to see all the friends there.

The 44-year-old also praised Saints current manager Claude Puel, whose team is currently placed at eighth position on the league table.

"Puel has done a fantastic job, and he's a great coach, who is doing a fantastic job. They're playing very well, with good results."

Spurs go into the game a mammoth 13 points behind leaders Chelsea, having played a game more, but Pochettino refuses to give up on the title.

"We can fight for the title at the end of the season. It's up to us to fight and be ambitious and try to be our best," he said. "With 17 games played, we have more than half the season ahead. All is possible in football.

"We are confident as we are working hard and we are focused on trying to win points. This is a very important period. We want to attack the last three or four months with the possibility to try to fight for the top four."