Tottenham Hotspur have failed to progress to the last 16 of the Europa League.
Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld during training
Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has revealed to The Mirror what he and his teammates discussed after the match KAA Gent on Thursday evening.
The Premier League outfit played out a 2-2 draw with Belgian club Gent at the Wembley Stadium in London in the second leg of the Europa League round of 32 tie.
Having lost the first leg 1-0 away from home in Belgium last week, the draw on Thursday evening meant that Spurs got knocked out of the major European competition 3-2 on aggregate.
Tottenham defender Alderweireld, who is 27 years of age, has revealed what he and his teammates dismissed after the game.
“If you are not qualifying then it is not a blessing in disguise,” Alderweireld told The Mirror. “Of course not. We are disappointed. A club like Tottenham has to go through.
“We have to fight for every game and that is what we said after the game. We still have the FA Cup and the league to fight for so we will do everything to fight for them.”
Tottenham are a much better team than Gent on paper, and they should have gone through.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino fielded a strong team in the second leg, but it was the players who failed to perform to the best of their abilities.
The positive for Tottenham is now that they can now concentre on ensuring their place in the top four of the Premier League this season.
Spurs will take on Stoke City at White Hart Lane in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
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