Toby Alderweireld says Tottenham want to win trophies and their achievements under Mauricio Pochettino should not be underestimated.
Pochettino said winning trophies only served to build ego after Tottenham were knocked out of their second cup competition in a week on Sunday; a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fourth round.
“We want to win trophies of course,” he told Sky Sports ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League clash against Watford on Wednesday night.
“We don’t want to go out in the cup. If you see in the last couple of years how stable we have been to stay in the top four.
“It’s a big step we took as a team to be there and for the club it’s important to get Champions League football.
“For young players as well to get that stage… in the last two years we got to the next stage to the next round so it’s not like we’ve had a good season then a bad one.”
Tottenham have finished as runners-up in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino, as well as two third-place finishes.
Alderweireld says the club’s consistency should not overlooked when measuring their achievements.
He added: “We’re stable, we’re up there and want to improve but don’t underestimate the things we’ve achieved up until now as well.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re unhappy or unsatisfied. We want to be first but we have to be realistic as well. We’ve seen where we’ve come from.
“We don’t make any excuses but with Wembley as well it’s been difficult, but we managed it quite well and we are looking forward to playing at White Hart Lane again.
(Sky Sports)
