Tottenham Hotspurs need to ‘write new stories’, says Hugo Lloris

Hugo Lloris has challenged Tottenham to “write new stories” in the Champions League, even though they will take the positives from last season’s sensational comeback against Ajax in the semi-final. Spurs looked to be sunk when trailing 3-0 on aggregate in the second leg of the tie last May but Lucas Moura’s second-half hat-trick in Amsterdam saw them knock out the Dutch giants in dramatic circumstances. Spurs, then under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino, lost 2-0 in the final to Liverpool in Madrid.

Tottenham need another memorable away day if they are to progress further than the last-16 in this campaign, with Timo Werner’s penalty handing Bundesliga high-flyers RB Leipzig a 1-0 win in north London last month. “We have to take everything positive but I think it belongs to the past, we need to write new stories,” said goalkeeper and captain Lloris, referring to the Ajax match.

“We have to go there and be ready to make the perfect game, we have to go there to win the game. It is as simple as that. “But the opponent is a very, very good team. I’m not surprised that they are fighting for the title in the Bundesliga.”

While Leipzig have their sights trained on domestic glory, Tottenham will be merely content to book their spot in Europe’s elite club competition next term. A 1-1 draw at Burnley on Saturday left them eighth in the Premier League table and facing an uphill battle to finish in the top four.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen for the rest of the season but we need to keep faith and keep working,” said Lloris. “We can see players are fighting and giving their best. The confidence is not up there but we are working for that and we are working to finish the season as high as we can.”