Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he "wanted to kill" his players following their collapse towards the end of last season.
Spurs provided the main title challenge to Leicester City for the majority of the campaign, but they picked up just two points from their final four games, including a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of relegated Newcastle United on the last day.
That form saw them finish below North London rivals Arsenal, and Pochettino admitted that his players failed to stand up to the mental rigours of a title race.
"I just told them, 'If I have the opportunity to kill you then I kill everyone'. I wanted to kill all of them. And I did not have the opportunity to kill them. I kill myself too," he told reporters.
"What did they do wrong? A lot of things. Football is tactical, physical, technical, but it is also mental. More mental than many years ago.
"We need to know how to improve our mental state. That is very, very important. I think this was key in the last few games in last season. To move on the team, to achieve another level, it is here that we need to improve."
Spurs will begin the new season away to Everton on Saturday.
Barney Corkhill
