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Tottenham legend Ledley King talks to Sporting Life about Spurs' season
Tottenham legend Ledley King talks to Sporting Life about Spurs' season

Ledley King exclusive: Tottenham players 'determined' and 'hungry' for success in 2019/20 after Champions League run

By George Pitts
Football
Fri August 02, 2019 · 5y ago

Ledley King hopes that Tottenham's incredible run to the Champions League final can inspire them to success in 2019/20.

The north Londoners shocked most when they qualified from a tough group with Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSV before getting past Borussia Dortmund, Man City and Ajax to face Liverpool in the Madrid final.

Mauricio Pochettino's side lost to the Merseysiders, but a season of dramatic late goals and disciplined performances could prove vital for the upcoming campaign.

Asked about the positive lessons they can draw from the experience, King told Sporting Life: "You’d like to think [they can].

"From all the defeats to being in the final which doesn’t get bigger at club level, I’m sure the players will come back for pre-season hungry and determined to win things.

"I have seen that - they have hit the ground running, played against some good sides, won the Audi Cup and the spirit seems to be very good at the moment.

"That confidence from the Champions League run has given them the belief they can beat some very good teams in Europe and the Premier League."

After looking like genuine contenders for the Premier League title at one stage, their form dipped then Europe became a distraction as they eventually finished fourth.

Pochettino has since smashed the club's transfer record to buy French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon for £55million, as well as signing Jack Clarke for £11million before loaning him back to Leeds.

"There’s no doubt Ndombele is a talented young player, we’ve seen flashes of that in pre-season," King enthused when asked about the club's new arrival, who set up Lucas Moura just minutes into his Spurs debut, but warned fans it may take time to see the best of the 22-year-old.

"He’s top quality, but it’s going to take him a bit of time and adjustment to adapt to the Premier League and the pace of it and also the intensity the Tottenham team play now. With him it might need a bit of patience but without a doubt he’s a major talent."

Although they have sold Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid and there has been talk of Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld potentially leaving north London, King believes they have the strength in depth to compete.

He said: "We are aware of how difficult it is to win the Premier League but I think the group of players will be believing they can do it and taking it one game at a time. We are well aware Man City and Liverpool were the teams to catch last season and we know how difficult that is but as a player you try to win every game.

"I think the squad is very strong and with Danny [Rose] in Germany, he performed great and seemed very happy so we don’t know. In terms of the team, the strength is whether you are missing one or two players someone’s always ready to come in and step up and you don’t lose much out of the team and that’s one of the manager’s great strengths in his coaching ability and being able to get the best out of the players.

"Toby’s a top player, has been away on pre-season and has been performing very well and I haven’t seen any signs of anything different at the moment, so we will have to wait until the window closes. From what I have seen, everyone looks very settled and we’ve seen that in their performances."

Tottenham need trophies

Spurs have not won a competitive trophy since King captained the club to success in the League Cup in 2007/08 and the expectation on Pochettino, in the new stadium, will be to deliver silverware sooner rather than later.

But King insisted: "I don’t think this season is any more or less important than last season, every season you try your best to win things. I think last season was exceptional but we didn’t win anything, you judge each season on merit.

"Of course, the players are hungry to try and win things but it is not easy, you’ve got Man City who won the treble last season and of course in Europe some very good sides. It’s never easy but the main thing is for the team to try and improve on last season and try be better individually and collectively."

  • eToro is a global investment platform and the biggest Premier League club sponsor in 2019/20. For more information visit www.etoro.com

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