Hugo Lloris believed Tottenham should have pushed more in front of Sporting CP's goal and that the team will have received a wake-up call from the 2-0 defeat in Lisbon.
The 35-year-old Spurs skipper was his club's best player on the pitch with some big saves, including a wonderful acrobatic effort that was quickly cancelled out by Paulinho's header from the resulting corner. Lloris was unhappy with the lack of focus shown by the team as Sporting scored twice in the final minutes to grab all three points.
"In the last few moments of the game, I believe that if you cannot win the game you do everything to not lose it. From this corner we have to focus to not concede this goal," he said. "There were some moments we managed well the game, other moments they had good chances. It was a Champions League game and in the end there is a lot of regret because we could have got something.
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"We’re going to analyse the game and obviously there is still a gap for improvement. We could feel and see that there is a gap that we need to improve. At the moment, it is important that we put all our energy into recovery and make sure that we are ready for the Leicester game at home to finish the week with a better feeling."
Spurs had their chances during the match in Portugal but in the end Sporting were the more clinical side in added time with Paulinho's header and then Arthur Gomes able to breeze past the static defence to roll in a second goal.
"We expected a tough game. We knew it was a difficult place to play. I think we lacked a bit of aggressiveness in the last third," said Lloris. "We managed quite well the ball but I think even if they were well organised, at some moments in the game we could have pushed a little bit more to get the goal.
“But as I said, when you cannot win, you don’t have to lose the game especially on set-pieces in the last minute of the game. That’s a bit painful."
One former Tottenham youth player impressed on the night with 23-year-old Marcus Edwards having come on leaps and bounds since moving to Portugal and he posed problems for the Spurs defence.
The attacker left the north London club in 2019 as he was not looking likely to add to his one League Cup appearance and the move to Portugal, first with Vitoria and now Sporting has served him well. He has starred in both of Sporting's Champions League matches so far this term as well as in the domestic league, causing his manager Ruben Amorim to tip him for an England call-up eventually.
"Yeah [he's blossomed]. He’s more mature. He’s 23 years old now," said Lloris, who denied Edwards after a jinking run with a reaction save from point blank range. "It was the same quality that we could see a few years ago when he trained with the first team. He has the profile to play in that type of team, in that type of league, but obviously if he continues in the same way, he will have a bright future."
This was Tottenham's first defeat of the season and while the captain felt the team had some bright moments during the game, they were cancelled out by the scoreline. Lloris made it clear that throughout this season so far Spurs are yet to reach the level they know they can.
"We feel there is still a gap for improvement, but we know so the only judgement you can have is about points, it’s about wins," he explained. “If you look at some moments of the game, there were some good actions from us, but it’s all negative because we lose. This is the feeling after the game. You can do what you want for 90-95 minutes, but at the end, only the score matters."
The defeat in Portugal could serve as a wake-up call for Tottenham when it comes to the level required in a competition they reached the final of just three years ago.
"Yes, it’s a kind of reminder. Every team, every player, they play at their best in this competition, as we saw from the Sporting players. They had a great team performance," said the skipper.
“I believe that if you leave the opponent alive, at one point they will have a chance to get a goal. We’ll have expected more in transitions, in counter attacks, on set-pieces. We knew they used to kick the ball in that part of the box, but we will analyse. Now we focus on the recovery and finish the week in a better way."
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