Dele Alli has revealed a unique theory as to why Tottenham Hotspur have reached the Champions League semi-final.
It's been somewhat of a strange campaign for the Lilywhites. Their Premier League title bid was ended following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Burnley and Chelsea at the end of February.
That came on the back of crashing out of the Carabao Cup as well as the FA Cup in the space of three days a month earlier.
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But as the 2018/2019 approaches its conclusion, the north London outfit are in a great place to end their long wait for a piece of silverware by claiming European club football's biggest prize.
Ajax will have something to say about Spurs reaching the final, but Alli believes this journey began in earnest at last summer's World Cup here they had nine players involved in the semi's in Russia.
"I think it’s definitely the case that what happened at the World Cup has helped us as a team," he told reporters. "We got a lot of experience from the tournament, in different situations, winning and losing.
"With that experience, we have begun to show that we are learning – and that’s what has happened in the Champions League.
"Each season we are improving – in both the Premier League and the Champions League. We are heading in the right direction and we have got to keep doing that.
"When I first came to Spurs, we had a great team, great players – but maybe we didn’t have the experience we needed when we got to this point of the season. But, by sticking together and having tasted various experiences, we are just getting better and better."
Defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon has dented Spurs' hopes of a top four finish this season.
Depending on how Arsenal and Chelsea get on in their respective fixtures, Mauricio Pochettino's side could find themselves in fifth place by the time they welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to the new Tottenham stadium on Tuesday night.
Given there is little room for error, winning the Champions League might be Spurs' best hope of playing in the competition next term and Alli admits it's time they started winning trophies.
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"Of course, we want to challenge for trophies. We’ve had seasons where we have come so close and we should have probably been closer in the Premier League again this season," he added. "There were a few poor games at crucial points of the season, but it’s switched around again.
"We still have to make sure we finish in the top four again which we should have made much more comfortable than we have.
"We will have to manage the games coming up – there has to be a strategy. But we are in the semi-finals now, so there is no reason why we can’t believe."
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