Steffen Freund set his sights on FA Cup glory after watching Tottenham cruise into the fourth round with an easy 3-0 win over Coventry.
The Midlanders arrived at White Hart Lane hoping to pull off a shock win just like they did in the memorable 1987 final. Yet those hopes were dashed in brutal style by a strong Spurs side.
Spurs assistant boss Freund said: "We know what we want to do in the league, we have won the Cup eight times before and we would like to go all the way this year."
Coventry took to the field in a replica of the jersey they wore 27 years ago but the memories of Keith Houchen's diving header, and Gary Mabbutt's unfortunate own-goal, failed to inspire the Sky Blues.
Indeed the only thing the 5,000 travelling fans had to cheer was a half-time appearance from Mabbutt, who was greeted with wild applause from the away end. With Bale back in the ranks, Tottenham were always in control and Andre Villas-Boas' men would have had six or seven had they not eased off in the second period.
"It was a professional performance," Freund said. "In the first half it was a different class. It was a great performance and we deserved the win.
"We didn't have to remind the players to be professional. They are really good. They put the opposition under pressure, they played with a high tempo and created chances."
Coventry manager Mark Robins, who won the FA Cup with Manchester United as a player 23 years ago, admitted his team were facing an uphill struggle once Villas-Boas named the likes of Bale, Emmanuel Adebayor, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Scott Parker in his team.
"We always knew it would be difficult but it got more difficult when we saw the team sheet," Robins said.
"Spurs were magnificent today. Scott Parker led it and everyone followed suit. Whenever we got the ball, they were quicker than us and they got it back. It was a shame we didn't get a goal to take some heart from."
Source: PA
