Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that work needs to be done on his Tottenham Hotspur side's defensive performance.

Spurs have taken just five points from the last 19 on offer in the Premier League to leave them battling it out with Southampton for a top-six spot.

Pochettino believes that Tottenham's failure to challenge for a Champions League berth is down to a lack of balance, and he admits that the defensive set-up of his side will need improving over the summer.

"We need to be more consistent next season, we haven't kept our level of performance and for that we've not achieved the top four," the former Saints boss told reporters.

"We are sixth because we score a lot of goals but we are there because we concede a lot of goals - we need to find the right balance. We need to improve a lot our defensive situation."

On the visit of relegation strugglers Hull City this weekend, he added: "It's always difficult to play against a team that plays to survive in the Premier League, but for us we need to feel it's important like them, we're playing for fifth or sixth.

"You play for survival, you play for a place in the Europa League, you need to be motivated in the same way."

Spurs are currently one point ahead of Southampton in sixth place, although they have an inferior goal difference to their rivals.