Jan Vertonghen is sure that Tottenham can close the gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side currently lie seventh in the standings, 21 points behind leaders Manchester City and suffered a 4-1 defeat to Pep Guardiola’s men last weekend.
Indeed, Spurs are closer to bottom side Crystal Palace in terms of points, but the Belgium international has set his side the target of making up ground to the side in first.
“We could and should have been closer and I think we can reduce the gap definitely,” the 30-year-old defender told ESPN.
“There’s a bit of frustration. Not just for us - for other teams as well probably. The gap reflects the strength of City but I don't think it reflects our strength.
“I still think we're stronger than last year. We just have to get that run going, hopefully around Christmas.
“Obviously we lost 4-1 and City played very well but we can - and will - do a lot better in the next couple of games. We've got a lot of guys coming back from injuries - there's still a couple out of course - but I think we're looking very good at the moment.
“A bit of luck is missing this year, but only Kyle Walker left us from that team [last season] and I see no reason we can't do the same again.”
Spurs travel to Burnley on December 23 then host Southampton at Wembley on Boxing Day before New Year fixtures against Swansea and West Ham within the space of 48 hours on January 2 and 4 respectively.
