Yes we Kane! Pochettino psyched for Chelsea chase

LONDON - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochetttino warned Chelsea that Harry Kane will keep Tottenham hot on the Blues' heels as the title race gathers pace.

Kane's brace helped Pochettino's side close the gap on Premier League leader Chelsea to seven points with a 3-2 win over Everton at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

After taking his tally for the season to 24, Kane was disappointed he hadn't managed a fourth hat-trick in his past 10 games.

Kane's attitude mirrors the high standards of Pochettino, who has renewed hope Spurs can overhaul Chelsea at the top.

"I'm a little disappointed with the way we finished, but we dominated for a long time against a team with very good players," said Pochettino.

"The most important thing is to show on the pitch that we believe. Today we showed that. It's better than talking about it.

"We need to be there. It's not up to us of course, but if we keep going in this way maybe we will achieve our goal in the end if Chelsea fails.

"It's true it's not easy for teams to come here with the way we are playing.

"We feel very confident. It's a special moment. The feeling is very good. For us, it's important to keep that for the future."

With Kane in such scintillating form, Pochettino has every right to dream of catching Chelsea, which must win at West Ham on Monday to restore its 10-point advantage.

Kane's hot streak underlines why Pochettino ranks him alongside the world's best strikers, and the manager gave a revealing insight into the 23-year-old England international's work ethic.

"He makes a lot of double sessions, he is professional, takes care of himself and because of that he is fresh," said Pochettino, whose side has won a club-record nine straight home league games.

"It is about the consistency of his training. To be fresh you need to work hard everyday. If you just eat and sleep maybe you are like me, you are fat!

"He had a big chance for a hat-trick. He was a little bit upset. When you have the chance to kill the opponent you have to score.

"He is at a very good level, but not only now. If you watch him from when he started to play regularly in the Premier League, his stats are unbelievable.

"He is a fantastic asset to have. He has showed he's one of the best strikers."

Everton boss Ronald Koeman was frustrated by his team's sloppiness on Kane's second goal and Dele Alli's late third.

And while he praised Spurs, he doesn't believe the north Londoners will overtake Chelsea for the title.

"Overall, Tottenham was the better team. You know if you make the mistakes we did for the second and third goals you won't get a point," said Koeman, whose team is seventh in the standings, five points behind sixth-place Manchester United.

"This is the third season of Pochettino at Tottenham. You can see a lot of his daily training work in the team. If we get that time at Everton we can do the same.

"Tottenham is really strong and has a difficult system to play against, but it will be very difficult because of the distance in points. I think Chelsea is too strong."

Agence France-Presse

Gunners rocked by Sanchez reports

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's decision to drop Alexis Sanchez for Saturday's loss at Liverpool was the result of a training-ground altercation, British media reported on Sunday.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Sanchez walked out of training and was involved in an argument with angry teammates days before the match.

The confrontation could, the paper said, hasten Sanchez's departure from Arsenal in the summer, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus anxious to acquire him.

Sanchez has scored 17 goals in 26 league games this term, but the forward was left on the bench at Anfield - a move that failed miserably as Liverpool swept into a two-goal lead.

Wenger sent on Sanchez after the break and the 28-year-old immediately set up Danny Welbeck to reduce the deficit.

It was too late to spark an Arsenal comeback, however, with the Gunners losing 3-1 as they crashed out of the top four following a third loss in their past four league games.

Afterwards, Wenger said he dropped Sanchez for tactical reasons because "the thinking was we had to go more direct", although he accepted his plan backfired.

The Telegraph alleged Sanchez walked off the training pitch mid-session which prompted teammates to confront him in the dressing room, where there was a heated argument about his attitude, prompting Wenger to drop him.

Pundits who were unaware of the reported altercation lambasted Wenger's decision, but the Telegraph said "many" Arsenal players backed the move.

Wenger hinted there was more than tactics behind Sanchez's omission. Asked if the decision had been "made for the team", the Frenchman replied: "I will explain that later."

Now the debate will turn to whether Sanchez starts at home against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the last-16 Champions League tie on Tuesday - a match in which the Gunners face the near-impossible task of overturning a 5-1 deficit.

In the build-up, Wenger is certain to face further questions about Sanchez, who scored Arsenal's only goal in the first leg in Germany.

The Chilean, who signed from Barcelona for around $37 million in 2014, has over a year left on his Gunners contract.

Agence France-Presse

Everton's Ross Barkley heads clear from a crowded penalty area during the Toffees' 3-2 English Premier League loss at Tottenham on Sunday. The win saw second-place Spurs close the gap on leader Chelsea to seven points. Eddie Keogh / Reuters