Hugo Lloris has insisted Tottenham are only just getting started under Antonio Conte but the captain has warned against complacency in their push for Champions League football following Saturday’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa.
Spurs put themselves in the driving seat for a top-four finish with a spirited win at Villa Park, moving three points clear of rivals Arsenal, who went down 2-1 at home to Brighton.
Conte’s side have won four League games on the bounce and seven of their past nine, scoring 28 goals, but had to dig deep to overcome a Villa side who dominated the first half after Heung-min Son’s third-minute goal.
Lloris made a string of sharp saves but Spurs went up a gear after the break, Dejan Kulusevski doubling their lead before Son completed a clinical hat-trick.
The goalkeeper warned Spurs’ rivals they still have huge room for improvement under Conte but also struck a cautious note, saying now was not the time to let up and reminding his teammates not to “forget where they came from” - seemingly a reference to their inconsistent form earlier this year.
“Since day one under Antonio Conte, we can feel the improvement, we can feel the way he wants us to play,” Lloris told Standard Sport. “We faced difficulties in February with a few defeats that hurt the confidence of the team.
“But with the repetition of work, we are at the level we’re at today. But it’s not the moment to decrease our level, we need to push until the end.
“We all enjoy playing together, suffering together. Again Saturday was a big battle and honestly Villa’s players deserve a lot of credit. It was like a storm in the first half, we conceded too many chances but we stayed alive. And then we knew we had the quality.
“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 - 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 this league is very tough and every game is very tough, as we could see on Saturday. We must be ready to suffer at some points, like we did in the first half.
“I believe there’s very good potential [for this team]. And with confidence we can grow ever faster. But again, in football, from one game to another, everything can turn very quickly. 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.”
The result moved Spurs three points clear of Arsenal, having played a game more, and they will be aiming to press home their advantage and build a cushion ahead of the potentially crucial north London derby on May 12.
Asked how important Champions League football is for the club, Lloris said: “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 be 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.
“With one game a week, we try to prepare as good 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 focussed on our main target and be focussed on ourselves, not the others. There’s still 21 points to play for. We need to push until the end.”
