Mauricio Pochettino Says Tottenham Played 'Too Much Long Ball' Against Wolves

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said his team played "too much long ball" in their surprise Premier League defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Spurs went ahead through Harry Kane, but Wolves hit back with three second-half goals, and Pochettino said his team took the wrong approach after half-time, per FourFourTwo.

"We did not dominate the ball in the second half. We were wrong in the way we tried to play, too much long ball and our energy dropped in the second half. It was difficult to come back into the game after their equaliser. But that is football.

"We have had a very good run in the last few weeks and to keep that level is difficult. We tried to play a little more in the second half, but we were too direct and I think we started to pay for the effort in the other games."

Goals from Willy Boly, Raul Jimenez and Helder Costa handed Pochettino a first Premier League defeat to a newly promoted team as manager of Spurs, according to Opta.

Metro's Ewan Roberts was critical of Tottenham's performance in the second half:

Meanwhile, Kane offered his view after the match and said his team only have themselves to blame for the defeat:

The result is Tottenham's fifth Premier League defeat of the season and ends a run of seven straight wins in the top flight.

The defeat, coupled with Liverpool's win over Arsenal, means Spurs are now nine points behind the league leaders. Pochettino's men will also drop back into third if Manchester City avoid defeat at Southampton on Sunday.