Toby And Kane Make Statements Of Intent

Tottenham’s key players Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld have claimed that Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Dortmund was a sign of what’s to come, having picked up their first Wembley win of the season.

Kane, who bagged two goals on the night, was quoted by ESPN as saying that the Spurs team are aiming to make home games at Wembley feel just like the fortress that was White Hart Lane last season.

“It is a statement,” Kane declared. “And that is what we wanted to make.”

“Everyone knows Dortmund are one of the best teams in Europe and we beat them 3-1, but it could probably have been 4-1 or 5-1.”

“We are in this competition to try to go very far. It is a tough group, but a game like that will only help us.”

“We want to make Wembley like White Hart Lane was last year,” He told reporters. “A place where it’s very difficult for teams to win.”

“We want to prove ourselves against the best in Europe and we did that last night.”

“It was a pleasing performance from me personally and, of course, a massive win for the team.”

Stalwart centre-back Toby Alderweireld also suggested that Spurs showcased a higher level of maturity in their performance on Wednesday night.

Praising both Poch’s tactics as well as the team’s ability to carry them out, the Belgian international described the victory as a ‘good step’ from last season’s disappointing exits in Europe.

“We didn’t play like children,” Toby told reporters, according to The Independent. “We played like adults.”

“It wasn’t going our way but we fought, we kept compact, we tried to be dangerous when we came out. We did that in the first half and the second half was better.”

“Like I said, we could have been better and scored a lot more,” He added. “We learned quick. We have to learn quick.”

“It’s a good step from last season and a good start, and we’re happy with it.”

In analysing the game itself, the 28 year old highlighted the team’s capacity to hit Dortmund hard on the counter-attack.

“When it doesn’t go our way, because we want to press and sometimes we’re a little bit late,” He explained. “We just stay compact to get through it.”

“And when we got the ball, we tried to be dangerous. That’s a big plus from last season.”

“Like I said – compact, didn’t give a lot of chances away. They had a lot of possession but we defended very well. Second half they got more tired and we should have scored more.”

Singing from the same hymn-sheet, Tottenham talisman Harry Kane also praised the way Tottenham kept it both tight at the back and sharp in attack.

“I thought maybe first half we dropped a little bit too much,” Said Kane. “And he [Pochettino] said at half-time he wanted us to push up a bit more and I thought we did it better in the second half.”

“I thought, when they went to one side, we all got across, made it difficult for them to play it back out.”

“I think when you play the top teams in Europe, you can’t always press because they’ve got good players one-on-one,” He added. “They’ll find holes and gaps and exploit the space in behind.”

“Sometimes you’ve got to drop off, catch your breath a bit and then go again, and we were clinical on the counter-attack.”

Looking ahead, next up Spurs face Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus before a locking horns with Spanish champions Real Madrid in a double-header.

Despite the magnitude of the occasion to come, Kane and Toby remained grounded in their optimism, reiterating their desire to advance to the knockout stages after such a good start on Wednesday night.

“If you win your three home games in the Champions League you’re near enough through to the next round,” Said Kane. “So that’s what we said.”

“We wanted to improve our home form, and against a good team we had to win because the Champions League doesn’t wait for anybody, so it’s fantastic for us to get off to that good start.”

Every game is different but with three points in the bag, we can be confident in the next game,” Toby added. “We’ll see how we play there but this is a good result.”

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