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What is the latest on Erik Lamela?

Very good news because he is in contention for tomorrow. It's because after the training today he felt good and said 'Ok I am ready to move on and be available if you want'.

How big a boost is that?

I think it's so important because we have a very busy schedule ahead. Always to have Erik available to help the team is so important.

Busy few days for him with the birth?

Yes Saturday his girlfriend had a baby. Fantastic news for him and more good news for him after one year out.

Will Danny Rose be back in the squad?

Yes he will be in the squad.

How did he react to being left out against West Brom?

Like another time, he understands perfectly that we are caring for him. i think he played in Dortmund and now he needs to build up. He's getting better and better every week. Always it's my decision, not only with Danny but with everyone, it's about caring for them first of all, to try to perform after in the level that we want and to benefit them. It's okay, because he was training during the week and now he's available for tomorrow again.

Do you still count on him in your long-term planning?

Yes, like all the players who have contracts with us. Today they are all involved in the team and the project. Like I told you one week ago I think you cannot guess what is going to happen in the future.

Mousa Dembele hasn't started last two games - any reason?

I think Harry Winks was doing well, but maybe he will have the possibility to play tomorrow. It's similar sometimes when a player are coming back from an injury or some problems and we are always trying to take care of them, trying to make the right decision for them and for the team and then of course, in some points it's a tactical decision too. I think he has a lot of chance to play tomorrow.

Are Spurs still in the title race?

It is true the gap after yesterday is a great gap, that has Manchester City away from the rest of the contenders. We are in a similar position to last season. We have the same points, only that we finish first in the Champions League this season and last season we were out in this week. Of course Manchester City improve a lot from last season and the gap is massive. We’ll see what happens. We need to be and try to win games. If we do not it is difficult to be a contender.

(Image: IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)

What now would be considered a success?

Now it is so early to think about what it is to be successful in the Premier League. We have our reality and we are trying to make our best to win games. It is true this season we have different circumstances to last season but I think we are happy. We finish in Champions League first in the table against Realm Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Apoel in a very difficult group. We have the same points as last season. We can do better. Our expectation every season maybe changes because always you want more and you are ambitious.

We feel disappointed because in the last few games in the Premier League against Arsenal and West Brom I think they deserve more for the performance we had. That is football. Sometimes for you, sometimes against you. It is a very long season in the Premier League. Always you are going to have a balance in the results.

Are Spurs progressing at the rate you want?

Of course in the Champions League we progress a lot, if you compare Champions League last season and this season, it is massive the improvement. It is real. In the Premier League if you compare stats and playing not in our home like last season at White Hart Lane, I think we have same points. It is nothing to complain, only the reality and circumstances are different to last season. Every season the club works to try to improve their squad and for us it is the same.

We have our own project and we are happy in the way we are working and developing our project. It is true we can do better. The expectation is massive after the last two seasons we were fighting for the Premier League. The circumstances are not so easy, but we are happy how we are fighting this season.

What did you make of the perceived time-wasting from West Brom on Saturday?

I don't want to speak any more. After West Brom I told your colleagues I think on the radio I don't want to talk any more about the referee and the decision. I promised that I would not speak any more. But that is a referee matter. We need to do our job, create more chances, score and be more clinical and win the games rather than be focused on the referee. I'm going to work harder to try to work harder to deliver better tools for my team to try to win. The referees are there and they need to do their job. I have nothing to complain about against West Brom from my side. It's for the people in charge to judge the performance of the referee. It's not my job.

Did you hear what Eric Dier said about what the referee said to him?

I cannot give my opinion. I support Eric Dier, but I'm not going to talk about the referee.

Are you happy that the next games are away from Wembley?

No. I think I prefer to play at Wembley. Its true that we draw three games and lose one and that disappointed us a bit. We were talking after the game with the West Brom staff and our staff. They said the motivation is to play for a team like West Brom or every single team when they have the opportunity to go to Wembley and to play. That is an extra charge we need to compete against. Of course it is a big motivation for opponents to play at Wembley.

But that is a circumstance that makes us stronger. We need to use it in a positive way. We are in a project that is medium to long term. We want to win tomorrow and we want to win trophies. We are ambitious because we are a competitor and the players, staff, the club want to win. But I think in the way we want to reach the last level and win trophies is completely different to our contenders. That is why we are so calm, so relaxed and we understand why we are so disappointed. Last season we were so close. It was impossible but this season we are trying.

Are Manchester City buying the title - does it ruin the Premier League?

No, they are doing very well. I think different clubs spent the same money as Manchester City and are below them. I think they are doing very well and deserve to be there. Of course we want to win. We’re in a similar position to the last two or three seasons and of course we need to deliver our way. We cannot change because today another club is at the top with a massive gap. We need to follow what we build and follow our project, our ideas. We cannot change because the performances of another club are different to us.

(Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Have the Champions League results raised expectations in the Premier League?

To assess the last three seasons, you can see it’s not easy to compete in the Premier League and in the Champions League and have the same performance. Last season I remember when I told you it was difficult to cope with the pressure to play and compete in the Premier League and Champions League, and today I think we have the same points as last season in the Premier League, when last season was fantastic because the gap with Manchester City didn’t exist last season, and we were fifth or fourth, but we were out of the Champions League - and in this season we finished first against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Apoel, and we have the same points.

The team has improved – maybe not enough to win the Premier League so far but we are competing of course and we feel proud because the team is building a fantastic structure, and we need time. In time you never know, you can win a title when sometimes you don’t expect it, or sometimes when you expect it.

But it’s a project that when you look back three years ago, I think if you remember everything that happened three years ago, no-one would believe we would be talking about finishing first, beating Dortmund and Real Madrid and finishing first in the Champions League and have the capacity in the last three seasons to fight for the top four and the Premier League. We were talking about in the next three or four seasons arriving to the new stadium and trying to reduce the gap to the top four, and now we are involved in the battle for the best competitions in the world.

Leicester like to have a go at teams - is that better for you to play against?

It's difficult the Premier League, the circumstances. Yesterday, the problem for Arsenal to beat Burnley or Manchester City to beat Huddersfield. You understand it's so competitive the Premier League. We were so close to beating West Brom in a similar game to yesterday's. It will be tough to play against Leicester tomorrow.

They have very good players. The performances under Claude Puel, they are in very good form. Of course it will be tough, we hope to be competitive and try to win. For us it's a massive three points to play for. We need to recover that feeling to win three points, again to fight in the top four and finish as high as possible.

Will Lamela's return lift players?

After one year we need to stay calm with him. He's so important for the team because he's one player more with different qualities to help the team in different situations during the game.

It's true we cannot expect too much now, only to be happy. He will be involved again tomorrow in a competition. We hope that he will be important for us in the future.

Did you have any doubts that he might not play again?

No, never doubts. We trusted in our medical staff and him that he's a very competitive player, always focused on his recovery. It's true that after a year it's difficult for a player to be fit and find the feelings in the competition when it's an injury for long term.

Always it's not easy and the expectations need to be low. Maybe similar to Danny Rose, after ten months or year it's similar. You need to provide them the time to be fit and feel again the competition. With Lamela there's no pressure on him, only to feel he's a player in the competition again.

With January window coming up, is he like a new player that might save you spending?

But it's not a new player eh? He's been four and half years here. He's not new. It's a tricky, tricky question. He's not a new signing.

Of course he's going to help us, but I think it's so important because we have massive, busy schedule in the future and it's always important to have a player with his quality to help the team.

Is Mousa Dembele fit now to last 90 minutes?

He still struggles a little bit. Remember he was two, three weeks away. It was before the international break. I was talking to Roberto Martinez, trying to provide him with the best tools to try to improve his fitness. If you remember he played 45 minutes in the first game than 25 minutes. He's getting better and better, but he needs more training to try to get consistent and then to cope with 90 minutes. I am happy because his performance had a massive impact against West Brom on Saturday.