Spurs produced the performance of the weekend to see off league leaders Manchester City with a convincing 2-0 win at White Hart Lane, but goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is urging them to stay grounded. The result moves Mauricio Pochettino’s side to within one point of Pep Guardiola’s at the top of the Premier League and Spurs’ intensity and pressing was particularly impressive.
Despite missing key players such as Harry Kane, Moussa Dembele and Eric Dier, Pochettino’s side have remained unbeaten in the league. They have conceded only three goals, the best defensive record in the division, and look incredibly solid. In the absence of Kane, they need to supplement his goals from elsewhere in the squad, and Heung Min Son has stepped forward to do so in recent weeks. Lloris said this week:
“It was also important to win before an international break but we must remember that the season is long and we must always be humble.
“Our team is still young but there is a big appetite here, we are all hungry to get great performances.”
Spurs play West Brom, Bournemouth and Leicester in their next three Premier League games so have a chance to establish themselves in the top four. With the exception of the Foxes last season, Tottenham were the best unit in the division but flattered over the closing stages to allow neighbours Arsenal to pip them to second place. They seem to have got over that disappointment however and with the likes of Victor Wanyama, Moussa Sissoko and Son starring in recent weeks their squad had greater depth. Manchester United and Chelsea still have question marks hanging over them, so Pochettino’s men have the chance to cement their place in the top four.
Elsewhere, former Nottingham Forest midfielder Oliver Burke has been discussing why he turned down a move to White Hart Lane in favour of a switch to Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig. The 19-year-old Scottish international was one of the hottest properties in the Championship, but took the bold step of moving abroad which did attract some criticism from some quarters. Burke said:
“I was going to visit Tottenham. But I said no because Leipzig showed enough care and attention to the little details.
“For a young man I don’t want to go somewhere that is a big club but, really, am I going to play? Am I going to progress? Or are they just going to stick me out on loan, which happens a lot at English clubs nowadays.
“You can only look at your Chelseas, and see the amount of talent they have, but they’re all on loan, not getting used.”
Finally, Spurs have sold all their remaining tickets for the Champions League ties against Bayer Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow at Wembley. Their European opener against Monaco saw the club break three British attendance records, with more than 85,000 Spurs fans walking up Wembley Way. Though they lost the game 2-1, Spurs did pick up all three points in Moscow last week to get their campaign back on track.
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