Hugo Lloris believes it is "no secret" how Antonio Conte has transformed Tottenham Hotspur into top four contenders for the final stretch of the Premier League season.
Saturday's battling 4-0 win at Aston Villa, while Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham and Wolves all lost, means Spurs have taken charge of the race for fourth place, with a three-point cushion to the fifth-placed Gunners and they are six points ahead of United and the Hammers with a vastly superior goal difference to all of them.
Lloris was crucial to Tottenham's win at Villa Park as he made seven saves in the first half alone to keep Conte's side in the match as they were besieged by the home side before coming out strongly themselves in the second half. The Spurs skipper believes that the improvement will continue under the Italian if the players remain focused.
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"Since day one under Antonio Conte we can feel the improvement, we can feel the way he wants us to play. We faced difficulties and a tough moment in February with a few defeats that hurt the confidence of the team, but with the work - and it's no secret, with the repetition of work - we are at the level we're at today," said the Frenchman.
"But it's not the moment to decrease our level, we need to push until the end, but we all enjoy it. We all enjoy playing together, suffering together. Again today it was a big battle. Honestly Villa players deserve a lot of credit. It was like a storm in the first half but we stayed alive and then we knew we had the quality, but we conceded too many chances in the first half."
He added: "There's also an opponent with quality. So it's difficult to control everything for 90 minutes because this is the Premier League, with a lot of talented players, with a lot of competitive teams and top managers. Every time you face a new opponent it's a new challenge, with a new system, different skills.
"That's why we all enjoy the Premier League, but with one game a week, we try to prepare as well as we can and I think we can be satisfied because we get rewarded for the work we do every week, but again, we have to stay focused on our main target and be focused on ourselves, not the others. There's still seven games to play and 21 points to play for. We need to push until the end."
Lloris believes there is still plenty more to come from this Tottenham team under Conte's stewardship and he feels that the players used their tough run of results in February to galvanise themselves.
"We can still improve in a lot of aspects of the game. We can get even more experience as a team under Antonio. I'm sure the tough moment we had in February will help us now and in the future," said the keeper. "I think it was part of the process and the most important thing is to stick to the basics and continue to work in this way, but again, this league is very tough and every game is very tough, as we could see today. We must be ready to suffer at some point like we did in the first half."
The Tottenham captain has played in some good sides during his decade at the club, with Mauricio Pochettino's squad finishing in the top four in four consecutive years and in the top three in three of those, as well as reaching the Champions League final in his last full season. Lloris was asked where this current set of players ranks in teams he has played in for Spurs.
"I believe there's very good potential and with confidence you can grow ever faster, but again, in football, from one game to another, everything can turn very quickly," he said. "That's why we need to be cautious. We know where we come from and we cannot forget that. That's very important, especially in this season. We need to continue our work, our way."
Fourth place would take Tottenham back into the Champions League after a two-season absence and Lloris believes it would be an important step for everyone involved.
"Not only for the club, for the players. It's the competition that everyone wants to be involved in, but also we're in the Premier League and to get the ticket to the Champions League is very tough, probably more difficult than in other leagues, but that's the game. There's still a long way to go. Even if we came back and we're in the race, there's still seven games to play," he said.
One of the reasons for Spurs' resurgence under Conte has been Harry Kane and his role up front as both a goalscorer with 22 goals this season but also nine assists, including five in his past three matches. Lloris believes that Kane is revelling in the current set-up because he's knows exactly what Conte wants from him.
"I believe he understands very well the manager's system. He understands very well his task and responsibilities. As you can see, he enjoys very much dropping [deep] to get the ball and making assists," said the captain. "We know he can make the difference at any moment. He's very dangerous. Whether he's close to the goal or far from the goal, he can do everything and it's a big skill. It's a big help for the team when you have a player like him."
Lloris added: "We can give the credit to many players. Rodrigo and Kulu have adapted very well in a very fast way, but again, it's not only about 11, 12 or 13 players. It's about a group of players. If it works well in the game, it's because it worked well during our training sessions and because everyone was committed and involved. That's very important. When you're in the race for big things like the top four, as we are at the moment, you need the help of everyone. You cannot have a few players not committed and not motivated. So it's important to give the credit to these players."
