LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says the international break has come too soon as he prepares to lose a host of first-team players.
Spurs face Liverpool on Saturday in their third Premier League match of the season, before returning to action against Stoke City on Sept. 10 following a round of World Cup qualifiers.
Pochettino has already said the Premier League season should have started later after this summer's European Championship and the Spurs manager is unhappy at the prospect of losing the majority of his first-team squad again.
"That is the business, it's football and we cannot change the rules," Pochettino told a news conference. "I think it's too early to start the competition again with the national team. But we can't change anything.
"We can complain but it's true that it's difficult the games will involve the same players on the international teams.
"There is nothing we can do. The players want to be involved in the national team. It's an opportunity to play for your country, to play for a place in the next World Cup. It's important to them because of that.
"It's very important how we manage it and, in different games, the squad is important. Like last week, Dele Alli was sick for two or three days and it was impossible for him to train. Then you cannot kill the player, they are not machines. It's important how to manage them so they are fit to compete all season."
Five Tottenham players -- Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Alli and Harry Kane -- played for England at the Euros, and new Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce is expected to include the quintet in his maiden squad, which will be announced on Sunday.
Pochettino has previously said that Tottenham's Euro 2016 players are still getting up to speed but he has no plans to discuss the condition of his players with Allardyce.
"I don't need to speak to him and he doesn't need to explain anything to me," Pochettino said. "I am available always to receive him here if he needs some advice or to talk to me about the players."
Both Pochettino and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp favour a high-intensity pressing game but the Argentine rejected comparisons between Spurs and Saturday's opponents, insisting they are very "different" in style.
"It will be a very tough game. I remember when we play last season, it was Klopp's first game in charge -- it was tough.
"They like to play on the counterattack. They are fast, quick, they have good organisation and they love to counterattack. They are different to us: We like to manage ball, play in possession, play in [the] opposition half -- we are a different team with a different philosophy.
"We'll see what happens. It'll be tough -- they come from [a] difficult loss against Burnley and they'll want to give their best."
Asked about Sadio Mane, his former Southampton charge, Pochettino said: "Liverpool have a very good team. Mane showed at Southampton all the great quality he has. Liverpool sign very good players, they spent a lot of money on signings this summer. Sadio is a very good player, yes. I know him very well from Southampton.
"We played against him at Southampton -- he's not surprised us with what he showed in [the] last two games for liverpool. I think he's a great player, fast, quality and he breaks the defensive line of the opponent. We need to be very focussed on him, like another player. Liverpool is not only Mane. They have a lot of good players -- Coutinho, Lallana, Firmino, Origi, Henderson. I can give a lot of names who have big quality."
Pochettino confirmed that Hugo Lloris and the suspended Mousa Dembele are Tottenham's only absentees.