West Bromwich Albion midfielder Darren Fletcher has hinted that Tottenham Hotspur's naivety when it comes to a title race could have cost them this season.
Mauricio Pochettino's side were held to a 1-1 draw by the Baggies at White Hart Lane on Monday night to leave them seven points adrift of Leicester City with only three games of the season remaining.
Fletcher believes that Tottenham's high-tempo style cost them an important win against his side, and suggested that they could benefit from adding some title-winning experience to their youthful squad.
"You've got to rise to the pressure and thrive under it. You've got to see it as a challenge and win games ugly. You've got to throw people in the box and see games out when you're winning 1-0," Fletcher told reporters.
"Passing the ball out from the back is nice and it's pretty on the eye but when you're winning 1-0 against West Brom, you shut up shop, see the game out and hit on the counter-attack. Who knows? It's not for me to say because Tottenham have had a fantastic season. They've been a credit to the league and playing against them is really difficult.
"To be honest at Manchester United we always had experience - we had Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Roy Keane. They'd been there and done it, they were calm, and the manager had been there and done it. We were very fortunate to be around such people. It isn't easy. You do have to take one game at a time and you do have to realise sometimes the last three of four games are the most important in the whole season."
Fletcher won four Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League during his time at Old Trafford.
Barney Corkhill
