Dembele urges Spurs flexibility

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele says his side must be adaptable and learn how to overcome teams that are now taking them seriously.

The North London club are currently third in the Premier League and are expected to fight for silverware on three fronts during the season’s run-in.

“We’ve built something very good over the last two years and teams take us seriously, we need to know that and to adapt,” said the 29-year-old.

“We have to play our own game, we have to dictate with the quality we have.”

Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images

With such a busy fixture list, squad rotation will prove a key factor for Mauricio Pochettino’s men and their strength in depth is proving to be a bigger issue than first thought.

Following back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Gent, the FA Cup now looks Spurs’ most likely bid at a trophy, with an away tie against Fulham up next on Sunday.

Then Stoke City travel to White Hart Lane when the Premier League returns in a week, and Dembele has said Spurs will discuss what went wrong so they can get back to winning ways.

“It’s a couple of bad games and we need to get over this,” he added. “We will talk together at the training ground to see what is going on. We’re experienced enough to turn it around.”