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Was it a fair result?

Yes, a fair result because they scored and we didn't. I cannot say anything again about that. Of course we can talk about possession, we can talk about corners, about shots, about everything... but in football the truth is if you don't score you don't deserve to win games. They scored twice. Of course it's a fair result.

Do you have regrets about making the changes you did today?

Regrets? No, no. We played with our best team that we can play at the moment. I think it was a moment, of course, for different players to play, to help the team. I think we came from a very crazy fixture [list] and were forced to take some decisions, rest some players and rotate. But like in the past we are going to play Wednesday too and Saturday. Always this is a disadvantage against our opponent. Watford played yesterday. It's true, this season has been tough. I told you it would be a massive challenge for us, but at that point we believed it'll be a tough season but not tougher than it's been.

Of course, disappointed because, after Thursday and today again, out of two competitions. We feel disappointed. You can't feel anything different. But now we need to be positive and be ready because we are still in two competitions, we are in a good position in the Premier League and the Champions League, that is a massive motivation for the whole club. We need to be strong. We feel disappointed but are looking forward to being ready for Wednesday.

Is that part of the problem with the squad depth in trying to cobble players together into an unfamiliar systems?

When you lose, it's normal to try to find out why. Different people have different opinions. Everyone is right in their assessment when you lose, because when you lose you cannot debate, we are out of the FA Cup today. You can find 1,000, 1,000,000 and more different ways to operate or do things differently when you lose. But it's not that debate. The debate is about, in England, we were involved in four competitions until four days ago. When the circumstances are against you, a team not building to win titles still because we are involved in many things. It's so difficult.

Today, yes, is a moment to try to accept that we were close to arriving to the final four days ago, and today we played a Premier League team after four days with all the circumstances we have in the squad we were still so competitive. If we'd scored the penalty, I think 2-1 with 45 minutes, maybe the result in the second half might have been different. But you have to accept that situations like today happen. Only it's to look forward and try to improve and try to, in the rest of the season, finish in the best possible way.

What's the realistic target now for the rest of the season now you're out of two competitions?

In the last few weeks I was listening a lot about winning titles, about many things, because in the last few seasons we were there and we were close. People I think with the comments try to help us, the people wish that in the end we would win some trophies. But being realistic, we are doing so well.

To win a title here in England like the FA Cup or Carabao Cup is about having some luck, not only about quality in your squad. To arrive here or four days ago in a different condition, or in a condition so you can fight or be more stronger. Of course, what happened happened. Always it's tougher to compete and win. Football is always to put some circumstances around. Sometimes when you assess football, you only look at which team won and which team lost, but it's so important to consider all the circumstances.

Now the realistic targets are trying to be in the top four, try to be close to Manchester City and Liverpool and try to reduce the gap. Of course to be a contender is always difficult for us every single season. That is realistic. Another is to try to beat Dortmund and be in the next round. That is going to be so tough. We are competing against a team who are doing fantastically in Germany, top of the table, and they come back off the their one-month holidays. They are all fresh and we are in the opposite side but we are going to try.

Have these last four days taken a lot out of you?

Look, to arrive in the semi-final in the Carabao Cup, only four teams in England did that: Chelsea, Burton, City and Tottenham. We are out now. A lot of teams were out before, many months ago. Then of course we were disappointed today but a bit unlucky because we were up against a team who had all week to prepare for the game.

You know very well that when you play a final, it happened with us in our first season when we played Fiorentina in Florence on a Thursday and Chelsea had all week to prepare and only focus for the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Of course, we lost. But of course it's not fair.

It's not fair to assess the teams, like it is the opposite. Until yesterday or before yesterday, we were focused on the Carabao Cup, and today was a tough game against a really good side. The conditions when you compete, you don't compete in similar conditions. Sometimes you need to have some luck to arrive in a better condition than the opponent. In that moment maybe you are going to win a trophy.

But then again we are going to create a debate that to win a trophy is going to help the club to be in the last level. I don't agree with that. Only that builds your ego because when you win a trophy you can say you have. In reality, at Tottenham the most important thing is always being consistently in the top four and playing Champions League. That is the realistic thing for Tottenham. That is going to help the club to achieve the last step. In the moment that Tottenham will be the real contenders and in the last level, yes that is the moment to try to win some trophies, to improve your titles and of course your ego.

But today the club is doing fantastically. It's so successful because in the last four or five years, we've been fighting the big clubs in different ways to achieve help the club achieve all that it needs, to be in the level of Chelsea, United, City or Arsenal or Liverpool.

Son is back from the Asian Cup, do you plan to use him on Wednesday?

Yes, yes. Today we were with him on the training ground in the morning. He's so tired, he played three games. Very tough games. Of course not too much energy today, but we hope he'll be available and ready on Wednesday to help the team.

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