Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged that striker Fernando Llorente missed a ‘clear’ chance to earn his side a valuable Premier League point as they ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday night.
Spurs did not perform well at the King Power Stadium but could still have come away with a draw had it not been for their wastefulness in front of goal.
After Harry Kane had reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, Llorente got on the end of Serge Aurier’s cross but could only lift the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard area.
It means that the Spaniard is still yet to open his account for the club after having made 16 appearances since signing from Swansea City in the summer.
In his post-match press conference, Pochettino was asked whether confidence was an issue for Llorente as he continued his barren run.
“Yes, of course,” the Argentine is quoted as saying by Football.London.
“For players it’s about building confidence. It’s true that it was so clear the chance. He feels bad.
“We feel bad because it was a chance to score for 2-2. It was so clear, but we need to accept that.
“Everything in the last few games is against us.”
Whilst Llorente’s stats look bad on paper, the truth of the matter is that he has started just three games this term, being largely utilised as a late substitute.
It is a far cry from his season at Swansea, where he was the main striker and started 28 times in the Premier League, finding the net on 15 occasions.
At Tottenham he is usually coming on in high-pressure situations with a limited window in which to make an impact.
It also makes it more difficult for Llorente to get used to Spurs’ style of play and for his team-mates to establish how to get the best out of him.
That is not to say that the 32-year-old should not have scored against Leicester, but he has not had the run of games that many forwards require to find their feet and bag some goals at a new club.
Next up for the North Londoners is a trip to Watford on Saturday afternoon, a fixture that looks like a must-win to re-establish their top-four credentials.