Jan Vertonghen: 'Very special' Tottenham squad still dreaming of title glory

06 April 2017 12:09

Jan Vertonghen says Tottenham's "very special" squad will carry on dreaming of winning the Premier League title.

Spurs remain seven points behind leaders Chelsea after completing a remarkable 3-1 comeback win at Swansea on Wednesday.

Swansea led from the 11th to the 88th minute on a dramatic night at the Liberty Stadium.

Spurs' title hopes looked over, but Dele Alli equalised and Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen struck in stoppage time to secure a fifth straight league win.

"Chelsea is looking very strong but we can't stop pushing and dreaming of the league," Belgium defender Vertonghen said.

"They had a big win (2-1 against Manchester City) but they have a couple of difficult games coming up.

"We have to keep winning and hopefully they get a bit stressed."

Tottenham were Leicester's closest title challengers last term until a late-season slump cost them second place.

But their Swansea fightback suggests Spurs have greater resolve now, and Mauricio Pochettino's side are now only five points off last season's final tally with eight games left to play.

"We've proven in the last two years what we're capable of," Vertonghen said.

"Tottenham were always capable of beating the smaller teams but not the big ones.

"But in the last couple of years we're doing both and we have proven we belong where we are.

"Teams are thinking about us now if they're talking about league wins or top four. Before it was that Tottenham will finish fifth or sixth.

"I don't know what is necessary to win the league - maybe a bit of luck - but I think this group has massive quality and is very special.

"We were missing five players at Swansea who normally start, but the other guys fit in and we're a very strong squad who can beat every other squad in the Premier League."

Spurs have a five-point lead over third-placed Liverpool, who have played a game more.

Claiming a top-four spot and returning to the Champions League next season looks almost certain.

They are 11 points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal, although the Gunners do have a game in hand.

"We left it late, but it's a big win and the gap to the other teams is getting bigger," Vertonghen said.

"We were happy when Liverpool drew (against Bournemouth) in the last couple of minutes.

"We want to secure that Champions League spot as soon as possible - and then see what we can do."

Swansea's painful night saw them drop into the relegation zone as Hull beat Middlesbrough to move out of the bottom three.

They now face a huge relegation showdown at West Ham on Saturday, with five points separating the two clubs.

"The boys put in a terrific performance and it's a bitter pill to swallow," Swansea striker Oli McBurnie said.

"But we've got a massive game on Saturday. We need to recover and go again.

"If we win enough games, our destiny is in our own hands. It's up to us to do what we can and get out of this mess.

"We've got seven games left to save our season, and that's exactly what we're going to try and do."

Source: PA