Nacer Chadli sets sights high in 'special' Tottenham season
Sunday 14 February 2016 15:41, UK
Nacer Chadli has revealed his Premier League title ambition - but says his Tottenham team-mates will keep taking each game as it comes.
Spurs are chasing silverware on three fronts this season, and face title rivals Manchester City on Super Sunday at the Etihad.
They are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup and the knockout stages of the Europa League, but their Premier League position, sitting five points off leaders Leicester in second, is most impressive.
Chadli told Soccer Saturday: "It's a very special season, we are still in three competitions so it is very exciting for me and for the group. We are all happy with the momentum and we have to keep it that way.
"The wait is still long. There are a lot of games. We have to play Manchester City and try to win that game, then we have a Europa League game. There are still a lot of games to go and we have to focus on each one."
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Chadli himself has enjoyed a fine season at White Hart Lane, his third since joining from FC Twente in 2013, scoring five goals in 21 games from midfield.
Despite not qualifying for the Champions League since 2010, the 26-year-old Belgian insists he would not take second place in the Premier League at the moment.
Asked if he would settle for runners-up at this stage, Chadli said: "No. I want to achieve the best we can do.
"It's important to have ambition, and everybody in the team has the same ambition, which is to improve. We have a lot of young players of course, and they are all hungry.
"The thought [of winning the title] will run through our mind every so often, but for us, as players, our focus must always be on the next game. That's the most important thing. If you're not focused you could slip."
Chadli was brought to the club under Andre Villas-Boas, along with several other big-money deals in the summer of 2013, before the Portuguese boss was sacked later in the season for under-performing.
New boss Mauricio Pochettino has impressed since joining from Southampton in the summer of 2014, and Chadli says Spurs' team work rate under the Argentine has improved drastically.
"We can play consistently for 90, 95 minutes. We can push until the end, and that's very important. Very attacking, very aggressive, we play high-pressure on the pitch every game.
"He demands a lot from everybody, which is normal at this level of football, and when you play for a big club like Tottenham. You have to be fit and tactically very good."