Belief the key for Pochettino in Chelsea chase
Tottenham must not let the prospect of closing the gap on Chelsea distract them against Watford, says Mauricio Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino has not given up hope of Tottenham catching Premier League leaders Chelsea despite trailing the Blues by 10 points.
Tottenham have only lost twice in the league this season, but both losses have come against top-four rivals in the form of Chelsea and Manchester United.
A run of four successive draws in October also damaged their title credentials and, although they have won their last three matches, they still remain in fifth place.
Only four points separate them and Liverpool in second and Pochettino has not given up on catching Antonio Conte's men before the end of the campaign.
However, his main priority is beating Watford on Saturday to ensure they do not lose any further ground.
"For us the most important game is Watford to try and reduce the gap on the top four," he told a pre-match news conference.
"We need to be focussed on Watford that's the most important thing for us.
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"Chelsea are a long way ahead. It will be tough for all the contenders. They have a big gap to second and 10 points to us but we'll fight to reduce the gap.
"We need to believe, we are fighting to reduce the gap and we'll have a good opportunity when we play them but first we must beat Watford.
"It's only half the season so there is a long way ahead."
Spurs travel to Vicarage Road without Erik Lamela (hip), Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker (both suspended), but Toby Alderweireld could feature despite picking a virus earlier this week.