Nuno Espirito feels Tottenham Hotspur are showing progress but described their Carabao Cup tie at Burnley as a ‘final’, via the Evening Standard, sparking some fans to react online.
Spurs travel to Turf Moor on Wednesday night to compete for a spot in the quarter-finals. The north Londoners reached the final of the competition last season, losing to Manchester City under interim boss Ryan Mason. Aymeric Laporte scored the only goal on 82-minutes.
Nuno replaced Mason as Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor in the Tottenham hot seat this summer. The Portuguese has since overseen 15 games in all competitions, with Spurs winning on eight occasions. But taking three-points in five of eight Premier League games.
Tottenham have so far only lost in the Premier League under Nuno to their London rivals. West Ham United beat Spurs 1-0 on Sunday, to follow defeats to Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. They also conceded 10 goals to just one scored over the four encounters.
Nuno sees positives before Burnley trip
The Irons result additionally followed losing at Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League last Thursday. Nuno now wants to see Tottenham treat their Carabao Cup trip to Burnley as a final, before they host a stuttering Manchester United side on Saturday.
“The Carabao Cup is an important competition for us,” Nuno said. “We have to go game-by-game, and this game is a final. It’s a chance for us to improve our game, to compete well knowing that we have to manage some situations.”
Adding: “We’re going to face a tough opponent, we know their characteristics. They are very physical, set-pieces, aggressive – but at the same time I think we are improving our game. The possession has been much better, the dynamics have been much better.
“But they are details that we only can achieve during the competition. So, it’s very important for us to improve in the match. Doing the things that we want, the things that we prepare and putting it on the pitch.”
Tottenham fans react to Nuno’s ‘final’ Carabao Cup claim
But some Tottenham fans were stunned to hear Nuno’s desires to see Tottenham treat their trip to Burnley in the Carabao Cup as a final. That’s because they believe the north Londoners have had opportunities to improve their performances in recent weeks.
Others also suggested Spurs should treat every game as a final to ensure they come out with a win. However, the overwhelming majority of responses were negative, with a few fans questioning their side’s trophy aspirations.
While others additionally noted their record in finals is not a topic Nuno, who earns £146k-a-week at Tottenham, should be looking to use as inspiration before travelling to Burnley.
So, here are some of the messages Tottenham fans shared on Nuno’s claim Spurs should treat Burnley in the Carabao Cup last 16 as a ‘final’…
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