Lloris: Spurs can ‘do a Liverpool’ and overcome the despair of losing a Euro final

THEY flew back to London yesterday morning already plotting the next stage of their resurgence.

Far from being at odds with Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had been moving for big players with big price tags even before Saturday’s Champions League final heartbreak.

There is a will at the club to back their mercurial Argentine to finish the work he has started in north London.

Spurs, remember, had been through seven full-time managers in 10 years before his arrival.

They had been flaky, inconsistent, unreliable.

On poaching Pochettino from Southampton five years ago, Levy declared: “He has a proven ability to develop each player as an individual, whilst building great team spirit and a winning mentality.” Winning is the final step for a sleeping giant now wide awake under one of the most talented coaches in Europe.

Captain Hugo Lloris is well placed to put Saturday’s defeat to Liverpool into perspective.

He had considered his future at the club on at least two occasions before Pochettino rocked up.

Now, just as Liverpool used their anguish in Kiev 12 months ago to inspire their triumphant return, Lloris believes Spurs can do the same.

He said: “We work and try to stick with the philosophy of the board, manager and the club.

“We look to improve and we have shown improvements year after year. So we now cannot throw everything in the bin after a Champions League final defeat.

“It’s been a big step for the club and the only thing we can look to do is come back stronger next season.” Lloris moved to Spurs from Lyon in 2012 but, after the sackings of Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, feared for the direction of the club. It was Pochettino who convinced his goalkeeper to persevere.

The Spurs boss is now set to add fresh blood and a new impetus to his squad.

Asked whether he would back an overhaul, Lloris said: “That decision belongs to the gaffer and the board. I am just a player. The only thing I can say is that getting to the Champions League final was a very big and emotional thing.

“It is difficult for us to end the season in this way because you never know when you will get an opportunity like this again.”

England captain Harry Kane kept his counsel in the Wanda Metropolitano after the match as the debate raged as to whether he should have started or not, having not played since his ankle injury on April 9. Lucas Moura, the man who lost his place despite scoring the hat-trick to see off Ajax in the semifinal second leg, also maintained a diplomatic silence.

Of more concern for Lloris was the lack of aggression that allowed Liverpool to see the game out too easily after Mo Salah’s second-minute penalty.

“It is always painful to lose a match like this,” he added. “We were a bit too timid and only woke up in the final 15 minutes. It’s a shame. We could have done with showing more pressing and aggression to have made the game harder for Liverpool.

“We never put them under pressure to go one-v-one. They managed the game much better than us.”

‘All we can do now is come back stronger next season’