MAURICIO Pochettino admitted Colchester United were 'tough' to play against after they dumped his Spurs side out of the Carabao Cup.

The U's stunned their Premier League opponents, beating them 4-3 on penalties after their Carabao Cup third-round tie at the JobServe Community Stadium had finished 0-0 after 90 minutes.

Colchester failed to register a shot on target, while Tottenham had 75 per cent of possession and 19 shots on goal.

But last season's Champions League finalists only mustered four shots on target and U's keeper Dean Gerken was rarely troubled.

Spurs boss Pochettino said: "They were tough, they defended well.

"Of course the difference of the level is there and if you analyse the circumstances, yes we need to create more and be more aggressive in the final third.

"We did nearly everything good until the last third. Sometimes you score, sometimes you don't.

"Today I think we feel disappointed because we dominated the 90 minutes but were not aggressive in the last third in the way you expect.

"It's about doing your job and this lack of aggression in the last third made the reality and that's why we feel disappointed."

Pochettino suggested there are still problems in their squad, following their shock Carabao Cup exit.

Much of Pochettino's dialogue in the early part of the campaign has been about how his squad were unsettled, with the likes of Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama all uncertain about their futures.

Pochettino was hoping that would correct itself after the European transfer window shut at the start of the month, but he says his side are still playing catch up.

"When you have an unsettled squad always it's difficult and you lose time and then you need time to recover the time you lose," the Argentinian said.

"That's where we are. Maybe our performances are good but you need this extra, which is mental, connection, it's energy to be all together, not to have different agendas in the squad.

"We need time again to build that togetherness that you need when you are competing at this level.

"We are in a period where it's a bit tough for us but we keeping working to find a solution.

"When this type of thing happens it's about staying clear and fresh and calm. We're trying to find solutions and we only need time."