Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that his players' busy summers at the Euros could be having an impact on the club's performances so far this season.
Spurs are still unbeaten in the Premier League, but have had to make substantial improvements on their first-half displays in order to take points from their four opening games.
"It was difficult because of the Euros, they come late, we were in Australia and some players started to play with only 10 days' or 14 days' training," Pochettino told reporters.
"It is difficult to understand why in every game we have some period in the first half that is difficult to get the pace of the game and to manage and handle the game like we normally used to do.
"And then in the second half it is like we need that from the manager and the staff to wake up and say, 'This is the reality,' we need to change and then say, 'Now yes we are going to do our job'. Maybe it is because the pre-season was difficult and all that happened in the summer, maybe now we are in a process to settle all the pieces."
Tottenham's next league fixture sees them face David Moyes and his Sunderland charges.
