‘Something is missing’: Lucas Moura admits Tottenham are in a ‘difficult moment’ after last year’s finalists crash out of the Champions League to Red Bull Leipzig
Lucas Moura admits ‘something is missing’ at Tottenham as the campaign goes from bad to worse.
Spurs crashed out of the Champions League with a 4-0 aggregate defeat against RB Leipzig just seven days after they were dumped out of the FA Cup on penalties by Norwich.
The wait for another major trophy goes on and Jose Mourinho conceded after Tuesday’s defeat in Germany that it will be ‘very, very difficult’ for his injury-hit squad to recover and qualify for Europe’s elite competition next season.
Lucas Moura admits ‘something is missing’ at Spurs as the campaign goes from bad to worse
It has been a disastrous 10 months for the North London club since they lost the Champions League final in May.
Mauricio Pochettino was replaced by Mourinho in November but little has changed, injuries have piled up and the players are at a loss to explain what has gone wrong.
Moura said: ‘What happened last season showed we are a very good team, a very good club, that we have great players. But now is a new season and a new moment. I cannot tell you what happened if it is about mentality, about confidence, but we know that something is missing.
‘I don’t think there is a lack of confidence. We know that we have good players, we have a good squad and we can do better. It is just football. Sometimes you can try everything you play well, you don’t win. It is just something that is missing. We will find the winning way again. We need to keep fighting and working.’
Tottenham, still without injured strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, are seven points adrift of the top four and face crucial home games against Manchester United and West Ham before the international break.
‘We have two important games at home now and we need to win, that is it,’ said Moura. ‘Every season it is our objective to get into the Champions League. We know we need to be better. The last few results were not good and we have to improve our game.
‘It’s true it’s a very difficult moment for us. But the only way that we have is to keep fighting, keep believing. Now we have only the Premier League and we need to be in a better position. Our objective is the top four, the Champions League next season.
‘I believe that it’s possible. We will try.’