Antonio Conte has told his Tottenham squad they are defending like relegation battlers.
Spurs have conceded 21 goals in their last 10 Premier League games, suffering six defeats in the process.
The latest of those losses came at Manchester City on Thursday night, when Tottenham lost 4-2 despite being two goals ahead at half-time.
Conte still has a “dream” of getting Spurs into the Champions League for a second season running, but he has urged his team to do more.
“I think we have to improve the spirit, the collaboration, the will, the desire, the feeling to suffer also because maybe we have forgotten to suffer and to understand that if we want to win the game then maybe you have to stay there, to suffer like last season,” he said on Friday.
“In other side, compare to last season, we are doing less and to concede 21 goals in the last 10 games, this is usually a team that fights for a relegation zone, conceded 21 goals in 10 games, but we have to find the balance.
“To continue to improve the positive situation and to turn the season, especially turning the situation we have to improve to concede a goal easily, to concede in this moment at least two goals every game, we have to turn this into a positive.
“The only thing we are doing is the work, we are continuing to work with the players.
“Then we want to be realistic but at the same time in myself I dream. I dream, I want to play Champions League. There are 18 games in the Premier League. There is another competition in the FA Cup and for sure in our mind we need to dream of something important.
“But at the same time to be realistic because if you are realistic I think that you are not stupid and you understand the work that we have to do something more if the dream is to become a reality.”
