Tottenham Hotspur star Christian Eriksen has stopped short of setting lofty early-season goals, saying it is still too early to decipher whether the Premier League title will be Spurs’ pass mark.
The Lilywhites trailed Leicester City in second for the majority of the season, eventually slipping to third on the final day of the season after a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of relegated Newcastle United.
Preparations for the new season began in a similarly negative fashion for the North London club, defeated 2-1 by Italian champs Juventus at the MCG on Tuesday night.
POPULAR ARTICLES
Talking Points: Hume City 1(4) Marconi Stallions 1(2)
WATCH: Torino score spectacularly hopeless own goal in preseason
That Spurs team was significantly weakened, lacking all of its Euro 2016 stars as well as Eriksen, who was felled with illness. With another friendly against Atletico Madrid set for Friday night, Eriksen says his side will use that and other preseason fixtures to find its feet rather than think about long-term goals.
“For me, the numbers don’t really matter, it’s where we end up in the Champions League which is what I wanted and what the team wanted,” Eriksen said.
“We need to bring what we did last season. We did well with the same team last season, but we have a few new players so hopefully they make the team stronger and make us push for one of the places we want.
“But it’s too early to say if we want the title or not. We just have to see where we are and do well.
“We also have Champions League to think about this year so it’s a bit different to last years.
The Dane did not confirm his return to action for Friday’s clash, but admitted his health had improved since Tuesday.
“I hope I’ll be involved. We’re training later, so we’ll see how that goes.
“(I’m) feeling much better than the last two days.”
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
