Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino disappointed after Spurs loss to Aston Villa at White Hart Lane

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was left ruing the lack of intensity and desire to keep the ball shown by his team after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at White Hart Lane on Saturday, 11 April.

The latest loss for the north London club puts a massive dent in their hopes of challenging for a place in the top four. They are currently in seventh place, seven points behind Manchester City in fourth place, who have a game in hand as well.

It was the second week in a row that Spurs failed to find the back of the net, as the week before, they were held to a goalless draw by relegation battlers Burnley.

The Argentine manager felt that his team lacked the intensity in the first half and also blamed his team's inability to create chances when they had possession of the ball.

"From the beginning of the game we made it difficult for ourselves because we didn't manage the ball properly," Pochettino said, as quoted on Spurs' official site.

"We gave them easy possession and then we conceded the first goal with the first chance they had. After that we tried but it's always difficult when you go 1-0 down."

"Maybe there was a lack of intensity in the first half, we increased that in the second half but it wasn't enough," the Argentine manager explained.

Pochettino has called on his team to match the aggression of the teams that are fighting for Premier League survival after poor performances in the last two games.

"When you play a team like Aston Villa or Burnley, they play for survival, they increase their levels and are more aggressive. You need to match that aggression and maybe we were one step behind."

"In the last two games it's been difficult for us, we haven't scored and we need to push hard and to increase our performance," Pochettino concluded.