‘Need to learn our lessons’ – Midfielder issues major warning to his Spurs team-mates

Harry Winks has warned his Tottenham teammates that they can kiss goodbye their hopes of finishing in the top four if they continue defending like they have been for the past few weeks.

Tottenham are in a downward spiral at the moment having lost all of their last three games in all competitions with the defeat to Wolves on Sunday coming as a major blow in the side’s quest to qualify for the Champions League for a fifth straight season.

Winks admitted that the players were disappointed to let three goals in at home and insisted that they would have won the game had they been tighter at the back.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, the midfielder said: “We need to learn our lessons. The top-four run-in is becoming tighter and tighter and we need to start winning games and stop shipping goals because that is going to be our downfall at the end of the season.

“If we take away the goals we have conceded cheaply, we are in a completely different situation and talking about a much more positive outcome.

“All season we have been trying to defend better and concede less. The problem is not scoring goals. To score two and concede three is frustrating, especially when you’re the home team of Tottenham’s level. You should be winning the game.

“It is a disappointing atmosphere in the dressing room. It is not all doom and gloom. As I said, we are scoring goals, we have got a lot of injuries and we are still managing to create chances and score goals. As soon as we stop conceding, we will be fine.”

The England international however refused to rule out the team’s chances of turning their form around and sneaking into the top four before the end of the season.

He said: “There is no point giving up on the top four. We were 12 points off [when Mourinho was appointed], we managed to bring that deficit shorter.

“We are sort of in and out at the moment, but two or three wins and you are back in the running. It is something that we definitely believe we can do.”

The 24-year-old wore the captain’s armband on Sunday as Hugo Lloris missed the game with a groin strain and while he admitted that it was a big honour to lead out the side, he revealed that the result had soured the occasions a little.

Winks added: “It was a special honour to be able to walk the team out, something that I’ve always dreamed of doing. It was a special moment.

“Before the game, at the team hotel, [the manager] just pulled me to the side and told me that I was captain and, of course, it was an amazing moment for me and my family.

“Talking about it now it’s a lovely ­honour and a great honour, but when you lose the game it kind of takes [some of the gloss] away.”

Tottenham’s misery was compounded last night following the FA Cup penalty shoot out defeat at the hands of Norwich City.

Spurs Web Opinion

I actually didn’t think there was too much wrong with our performance going forward on Sunday. We created more than enough opportunities to win the game and if we had a fit striker available, we probably would have taken all three points. It was our lack of concentration at the back allied with Wolves’ clinical finishing that cost us.

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