BURNLEY, England -- Mauricio Pochettino has described Tottenham's season away from home as a period of "transition" and says they are using the year at Wembley to build for the future.
Spurs are spending this season at the national stadium while their new 61,500-seater home is being built, and Pochettino began the campaign by talking-up their title chances and pledging to make Wembley "feel like home."
But Spurs have already dropped nine points there -- five more than in the whole of last season at White Hart Lane -- and they are 21 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City after 19 games.
Although Pochettino has not publicly conceded the league title, he now says this season is about strengthening "for the next few years" and claims they could never have been expected to mount a third consecutive title challenge.
"The thing you must see and analyse is the club in the last two seasons were third, [then] we were second in the Premier League," the Spurs manager said ahead of Tuesday's game against his former club Southampton at Wembley.
"The next year is a transition as we move from our stadium to Wembley and everyone changed, so the expectation cannot be the same in the next season. But we have never used Wembley as an excuse why we are not one of the teams to challenge for the Premier League.
"We need to recognise and give credit to the team, which is having a fantastic season away from home at Wembley. I'm so happy that we can achieve all that we want to make us strong for next season and the next few years. I am pleased. I am discovering different things about the team and learning about them every day."
Spurs are only five points worse off than they were at the same stage of last season, while they are through to the Champions League round-of-16 after finishing top of their group.
"My ambition and the team's ambition is always to win," he added. "The people need to understand the club is building a new stadium, facilities at the training ground. Every season it is changing and this means things are not stable like they were in the previous season.
"It's so important to recognise that. Sometimes there are not good performances from the team, but they are doing everything to perform in the right way. The people know it is not easy to move stadium. It has happened at different clubs and always it is a tough, tough period.
"But for us it is not an excuse. OK our idea is always to win. It's true that we can do better, but I think we are having a fantastic season.
"Me and my staff give the credit to the players for playing in a different place after last season at White Hart Lane. In 19 Premier League games there, we won 17 and had only two draws. It was a fantastic season at White Hart Lane. So to move to Wembley and make Wembley home... I think when you assess the team it is important to remember this."
Pochettino's team tend to find an extra gear in the second half of the campaign and the Argentine says there is "no doubt" they will finish strongly again.
"During the season in the first six months, we were good," he said. "Maybe it's true in the last few games away from home, at [Manchester] United and Manchester City, we could not win the games. Maybe that's created a little bit of low energy and some not good feeling from the team.
"I think we are going to do well. The team are strong, they are working so hard. They are giving their best and there is no doubt that we are going to finish in a very good way."