Roberto Soldado has revealed that the Tottenham fans’ support for him has made him feel embarrassed about his performances.

Soldado joined Spurs for £26million in the summer of 2013 but has been a huge disappointment until now, scoring seven goals in 38 league appearances, including only one in the Premier League this season.

Despite those below-par displays, the White Hart Lane crowd have remained firmly behind Soldado – but the Spain international forward has admitted their backing has made him feel even worse about his own form.

“From the first minute I’m involved, even before I’ve done anything, the fans show they believe in me, and I feel ashamed at not being able to satisfy them,” said Soldado. “It’s hard when they sing.

“I hear them chanting my name and if I miss a chance, I feel bad. I can’t thank them enough. I just hope I can reach the level they expect and I just need to take advantage of the great players around me.

“If only I knew that little something that’s missing for me to find my form, really show my game and for the goals to start flowing. I am reassured, though, because the manager (Mauricio Pochettino) is giving me more minutes on the pitch.

“With that, my time will come, because in the games I’m feeling good. The critical thing is that the goals aren’t coming but I know they will, because I’m working really hard for the team, and that is important.”

Tottenham face Burnley at White Hart Lane in the Premier League on Saturday. They will be strong favourites, especially after the 4-0 win over Newcastle that set up a Capital One Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, but it is exactly the kind of fixture that has troubled Spurs this season.

Player Ratings: Tottenham v Newcastle United 12 show all Player Ratings: Tottenham v Newcastle United 1/12 Michel Vorm: 7 Apart from keeping out a couple of long-range strikes from Mousa Sissoko, he had little to do in the first half. He denied Jack Colback and sub Adam Armstrong in the second. Getty 2/12 Vlad Chiriches: 7 He looks a better full-back than he does a centre-back, even though he joined Spurs to play in the middle. Generally dealt well with both Yoann Gouffran and Remy Cabella. Getty 3/12 Federico Fazio: 6 Better in the air – as he should be – than in recent games but still dodgy in possession. Caught out of position twice. Still adapting to the English game. GETTY 4/12 Jan Vertonghen: 7 Captain for the night, he was largely authoritative at the back but needs to cut out the silly mistakes, such as the one that should have led to a 55th-minute goal for the visitors. Getty 5/12 Danny Rose: 6 Back in the side after injury, Rose was kept busy by Cabella in the first half, and only when the game was won did he feel the freedom to go forward regularly. Getty 6/12 Nabil Bentaleb: 7 He crowned a decent performance with his first senior goal for Spurs. Not always precise in possession but is athletic, technically sound and has bags of personality. Getty 7/12 Benjamin Stambouli: 7 He plays only in the cups but this was a quietly effective display from the Frenchman. Makes up for his lack of pace with excellent positional sense. Getty 8/12 Nacer Chadli: 7 He can look ordinary for long spells only to make a decisive contribution. That was the story here, as the Belgian made it 2-0 to Spurs 34 seconds after the interval. Getty 9/12 Christian Eriksen: 8 The Dane is quickly becoming the attacking leader this team have craved since Gareth Bale’s departure. Some of his passing and one-touch play were world-class. Getty 10/12 Andros Townsend: 6 Granted a rare start, the England winger often seemed to be trying too hard. It is hard to escape the feeling he will be moving elsewhere in January. GETTY 11/12 Harry Kane: 7 Without showing quite the same energy and dynamism as he did at Swansea, Kane still kept the Newcastle centre-backs honest and his 13th goal of the season was a ruthless finish. Getty 12/12 Roberto Soldado: 6 Scored Spurs’ fourth a minute after coming on. Getty 1/12 Michel Vorm: 7 Apart from keeping out a couple of long-range strikes from Mousa Sissoko, he had little to do in the first half. He denied Jack Colback and sub Adam Armstrong in the second. Getty 2/12 Vlad Chiriches: 7 He looks a better full-back than he does a centre-back, even though he joined Spurs to play in the middle. Generally dealt well with both Yoann Gouffran and Remy Cabella. Getty 3/12 Federico Fazio: 6 Better in the air – as he should be – than in recent games but still dodgy in possession. Caught out of position twice. Still adapting to the English game. GETTY 4/12 Jan Vertonghen: 7 Captain for the night, he was largely authoritative at the back but needs to cut out the silly mistakes, such as the one that should have led to a 55th-minute goal for the visitors. Getty 5/12 Danny Rose: 6 Back in the side after injury, Rose was kept busy by Cabella in the first half, and only when the game was won did he feel the freedom to go forward regularly. Getty 6/12 Nabil Bentaleb: 7 He crowned a decent performance with his first senior goal for Spurs. Not always precise in possession but is athletic, technically sound and has bags of personality. Getty 7/12 Benjamin Stambouli: 7 He plays only in the cups but this was a quietly effective display from the Frenchman. Makes up for his lack of pace with excellent positional sense. Getty 8/12 Nacer Chadli: 7 He can look ordinary for long spells only to make a decisive contribution. That was the story here, as the Belgian made it 2-0 to Spurs 34 seconds after the interval. Getty 9/12 Christian Eriksen: 8 The Dane is quickly becoming the attacking leader this team have craved since Gareth Bale’s departure. Some of his passing and one-touch play were world-class. Getty 10/12 Andros Townsend: 6 Granted a rare start, the England winger often seemed to be trying too hard. It is hard to escape the feeling he will be moving elsewhere in January. GETTY 11/12 Harry Kane: 7 Without showing quite the same energy and dynamism as he did at Swansea, Kane still kept the Newcastle centre-backs honest and his 13th goal of the season was a ruthless finish. Getty 12/12 Roberto Soldado: 6 Scored Spurs’ fourth a minute after coming on. Getty

Pochettino’s side have lost four times in the league in front of their own fans and if they cannot overcome Burnley, the momentum built from wins over Swansea and Newcastle will be lost.

Soldado will be confident about returning to the side after scoring as a substitute against Newcastle. He believes Spurs are approaching top form and, if they reach it, he expects them to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

“We’re improving all the time but if we’re being realistic, we’re not playing to our potential yet,” the 29-year-old told Sky Sports’ Barclays Premier League World programme. “There is room to do better and if we can, we can finish in the top four.

“Mauricio Pochettino wants a very attack-minded team. He wants us to have the ball and hurt our opponents, which is good for strikers and all attacking players. He wants the strikers to be very mobile and push forward, so the midfield can come in and score goals.”

If Tottenham are to mount a serious assault on the top four in the second half of the campaign, they need to be far more consistent.

Over Christmas and New Year, they take on both Manchester United and Chelsea, who will provide a true test of the credentials of this team.

Despite the tasks ahead, midfielder Nabil Bentaleb believes Spurs need not be intimidated by anyone.

He said: “We don't really fear anyone. We know that if we play at our best, we know we can cause a very big problem to any team in the Premier League, to Chelsea or Manchester City. “That's the most important thing, to focus on ourselves and not look at other teams. If we focus on ourselves, I think we will go far.“Can we finish in the top four? When you look, we are in December, and we are still in the game. We are not far from it. It will all be played in the second part of the season and we have to keep on going this way.”

Sky Sports is showing more of the games that matter from the Barclays Premier League this weekend, including Newcastle United v Sunderland and Liverpool v Arsenal”