Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has blamed the team’s temporary home for adding to his players’ fatigue. Due to the pitch being wider than the one at White Hart Lane, Pochettino believes Wembley is adding stress and stain to his side.
Spurs moved into Wembley Stadium this season while their new arena is being built. White Hart Lane was demolished at the end of last term, and Spurs will move into their new stadium sometime next season.
In his weekly press conference, Pochettino spoke about the problems he sees with the Wembley pitch.
“This season, we are beating our physical stats [from previous seasons], because when you play at Wembley you spend more energy,” the Tottenham manager said.
“But that always has an impact on your physical condition. For three years, we played at White Hart Lane, it was completely under control. It was high intensity.
“If you compare White Hart Lane to Wembley, the square metres changes a lot. The [amount of time with the] ball in play changes a lot.
“Today it’s true that we are finding different stats, and of course we need to be careful and be right with how we assess and make our decisions in the next few months.
“The team has improved a lot in the physical stats, and now we need to see the effect over the Christmas period.”
Tottenham are currently fourth in the Premier League table, but could move level on points with second place Manchester United if results go their way at the weekend.
Spurs are coming off of a midweek Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund. Tottenham have already qualified for the next round as group H winners.