Eric Dier has insisted that Tottenham want to go into every single game this season looking to win, even though that might not be possible.
Tottenham’s hard-fought win over Brighton on Sunday was the North Londoners’ first home win in the league this season.
Dier admitted that the players are delighted to pick up their first three points at home but admitted that there is still some regret over the points they dropped against West Ham and Newcastle.
The centre-back told Football.London: “We’re happy with where we are, we could be happier. As you said, if you look at some games – the Newcastle game with the penalty, again, very difficult to understand!” said Dier, who was adjudged to have handballed to give away that spot kick.
“The Everton game wasn’t acceptable and then the West Ham game, the same, really frustrating to be 3-0 up and it was really important for us to get off the mark at home [against Brighton], get the win and obviously we’ve improved massively away from home which was really our downfall last season.
“It’s great to be up and running with a win at home and we’ll just look to keep working hard, keep pushing forward.”
When asked what the team’s ambition was this season, Dier said: “It’s very early on, our motivation is clear. For us, we’re going into every game to try and win.
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“We know that’s not possible but that’s our ambition. We’re going into every game, no matter the competition believing we can win.
“That’s a great feeling and it’s a great feeling to have. That’s the objective and the manager sets that tone from above. It’s very early on but we’re focusing game by game and trying to win every game we play.”
Spurs will now temporarily shift their attention away from the league as they travel to Bulgaria to take on Ludogorets, with the Lilywhites still having plenty of work to do get into the knock out stages.
Dier insisted that he and his teammates are not looking beyond tomorrow’s game.
When asked about people tipping Tottenham to challenge for the league title, the defender responded: “There’s not much more I can say because we’re really focused on ourselves and we’re focused on Thursday now, the Europa League game.
“The work with the manager has been great because you know where you stand every game and he wants to win it and the focus is completely on that. That’s his focus, no matter what the competition is. That’s always his focus and our focus.
“Anything other than that, is for others to discuss. I guess we’re just really focused in the moment.
“It’s been a very difficult for everyone and the circumstances around it. The short pre-season, people starting at different times but i think things will gradually will come back to normal again.”
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It is clear by now that the line about “looking to win every game” is not just a diplomatic answer. Multiple first-team stars have now said the same, which suggests that there is a genuine belief in the squad that they can beat everybody.
Perhaps driving home the importance of carrying that mentality into every game, regardless of the competition, is why Jose was hypercritical of the team’s performance against Royal Antwerp last week.
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