Hugo Lloris believes Tottenham's mentality was incredible in their victory against Leeds and thinks Dejan Kulusevski is going to be an important player in the second half of their season.
Spurs came from behind three times on Saturday before winning 4-3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to ensure they went into the World Cup break fourth in the Premier League table and in the last 16 of the Champions League. Lloris believes that this frantic run of 13 matches in 43 days with the added pressure of the Champions League run has left Spurs tired and reactive in recent games.
"It’s been very hard. We put so much energy into the group stage of the Champions League that as you could see in the last few games of the Premier League we lacked a bit of aggressiveness and intensity. We were a bit passive, always reactive," explained the Frenchman.
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"For sure there are many, many reasons. We are capable of playing at a better level and playing 90, 95 minutes at the same level. At the moment it’s a lot of up and down. The guys gave their best, that’s the most important thing. We reached the next round of the Champions League, that was the main target, and we are still in a top four place. That’s the positive. The second part of the season will obviously be different and for sure we will have more energy to finish stronger and be more consistent in our performances."
The second half of the season is going to bring the unknown with the aftermath of the World Cup, and resulting injuries and fatigue, and the January transfer window coming straight afterwards.
"It’s difficult to predict what is going to happen but obviously we are looking on our side for Tottenham and many players are involved for the World Cup," said Lloris. "Hopefully they will come back safe without injuries and we will continue in our way in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
"It’s not easy for every team with international players involved in the World Cup, for example when you see Leeds and Tottenham today there was more to lose for some Spurs players than Leeds players, but we found the mentality to come back three times and win with the fourth goal. It was incredible to be honest but shows the character of the team."
One player who made a big difference on Saturday for Tottenham was the returning Dejan Kulusevski. The 22-year-old Swede missed a month with a hamstring injury but has come back with an assist in both of his Premier League games this week and Lloris believes he's going to be a big player in the second half of the campaign.
"Kulu is a very important player, he showed it last season, being decisive on a lot of occasions for the team," said the Spurs captain. "We missed him for many weeks and the feeling that we have today is a fresh player, fully fit and it was the case against Liverpool and today.
"You can see that in one vs one he is very aggressive in the final third. Today he made many assists for the team and helped the team a lot to come back in the game and win the game. We know how important he is for the team. It will be the case also for the second part of the season."
Lloris now heads off to his fourth World Cup with France, having held the trophy aloft in 2018, and he knows that history suggests it will not be a simple task for the reigning champions to even get out of the group stages.
"To be the defending champions is not an easy task. If you look at the last three previous champions they struggled a lot and didn’t go through the group stage," he said.
"This is the first target, obviously, and there’s no easy game at this level. We have to play at our best and then we know it’s going to be a different competition from the last 16 onwards, in one game anything is possible. It will be about details. The main thing at the moment is to be focused on the recovery. We’re going to meet our national team and start the process in a short preparation but we will need a lot of energy."
He added: "Since September we’ve played every three or four days. There’s a lot of fatigue. Now they key is to be focused on the recovery in the first few days and start again to prepare your body and mind.
"Probably it will help to be in a different context, a different place with different faces and energy, but it’s always exciting to play that type of competition, to represent your country and for sure the protagonists will find the right energy to play at their best."
France face Denmark in Group D so Lloris will come up against Spurs team-mate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and former Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen.
"During the World Cup and Euros you cross many team mates and ex-team mates. That’s the beauty of football, you can be team-mates one day and opponents the next," he said. "It doesn’t change the relationship you can have but for 90 minutes or more you are just opponents. Before and after you’re still friends. That’s football."
With plenty of controversial issues surrounding this World Cup in Qatar, with regards to human rights and inclusivity, FIFA have advised the competing countries to simply focus on the football and Lloris admitted that he agrees with the sentiment when it comes to the players.
"Honestly I agree. There’s too much pressure on the players. We are at the bottom of the chain," he said. "If you have to apply pressure first of all it had to be 10 years ago. Now it’s too late. You have to understand that for players this opportunity happens every four years and you want every chance to succeed.
"The focus has to be on the field. The rest is for politicians. We are athletes. We are going to represent our countries professionally and sportingly. For the rest it belongs to the others."
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