Striker Emmanuel Adebayor has warned that Tottenham will not finish in the top four if they repeat the kind of poor display which saw them limp to victory over Sunderland on Sunday.
Spurs moved in to third place in the Barclays Premier League after returning to winning ways with a nervy 1-0 win over the Black Cats at White Hart Lane but Adebayor knows they must play better if they are to beat Chelsea on Thursday.
"If we want to be in the top four we have to play better than we did against Sunderland," Adebayor told Spurs TV Online. "I don't know happened in the first half. I don't really want to know. I'm just glad that the game is over."
He added: "We felt heavy on the pitch and we didn't have any solution. It was tough but to be champions that's what it takes.
"It's the kind of game that, regardless of what happened, we were just pleased to get the three points."
Claims that Tottenham are ready to win their first league title in 51 years have been mocked in some quarters, but Harry Redknapp's men will have a chance to prove their title credentials in Thursday's important derby at White Hart Lane.
Midfielder Sandro, who is likely to start against Andre Villas-Boas' men, thinks a win over their west London rivals will silence those doubters and give the Spurs dressing room the belief that they can go all the way this year.
He said: "We can make a statement if we win against Chelsea. It'll be a very difficult game but we are good at home because the support helps us.
"It will give us the belief that we can win the league. If we win, it will show that we are going up the table again.
"This team can win the title, why not? Every player we have here is good. We have a really strong squad."
Source: PA
