Champions League qualification has been the aim for Tottenham at the start of every recent season, yet it is no longer enough for their players.

Offer the Spurs hierarchy fourth place now and they would surely accept. Not only would it be a commendable achievement, the prize money in the Champions League - which outstrips by a long way what is available in the Europa League - would come in extremely handy as the club pay for their £750million stadium project.

Yet, if Spurs do no better than last season, when they finished third, Eric Dier insists the players would have little to be satisfied about.

As they prepare for Saturday’s home game against Middlesbrough, Dier has set the bar high for himself and his team-mates.

Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland, who started this round of fixtures bottom of the Premier League, was a missed opportunity.

As leaders Chelsea take on third-placed Arsenal at lunchtime on Saturday, the early evening Middlesbrough match is another chance Spurs must not miss.

Given Tottenham’s transfer net spend and wage bill is far more modest than that of their rivals, surely finishing third again would be something to celebrate? Not so, insists Dier.

“With the mentality we have here, we would be upset to finish in the same position as last season,” he told Standard Sport.

“We want to be better and we want to show it. We have to realise we need to work very hard to do better than last season. Everyone wants to reach the very top.”

Despite Tottenham’s progress since Mauricio Pochettino took charge in May 2014, major trophies are elusive. The last was the League Cup in 2008, the only one this century.

Tottenham believe they are still in the title race, even though Chelsea are nine points clear. They are in the fifth round of the FA Cup, with a tie at Fulham later this month, and play Belgian club Ghent over two legs in the last 32 of the Europa League.

Pochettino has already said his team may find it tricky to challenge to the end in all three competitions, yet this team should be capable of bringing home one of the cup competitions.

If the first trophy of this regime could be secured, Tottenham would feel confident that others will follow.

“We have improved a lot and I don’t think there is anything about us that is lacking,” said Dier.

“But until we win a trophy, that will always be the question. It is up to us to reach our full potential. We still have a lot of players who have not reached their prime.

"We are not ‘chasing’ a trophy: our focus is to build a team capable of challenging on every front, and we are still in three big competitions.

“Once you do win that first trophy, maybe the pressure is relieved and, hopefully, many more will come, but it is a different scenario to what teams in England have done in the past. We are building something as a club.

“We have not gone out and bought lots of players at once. It is a process here and everyone is buying into it. There are no stars here, which is what we are about, and the atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve been involved with.

“Look at Hugo Lloris. He is captain of France and, I believe, the best goalkeeper in the Premier League but you will not meet someone as humble. The manager would not accept anything less.”

Dier also had a warning for any teams who believe they can follow Sunderland’s lead. Spurs were not at their best in the 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light, while some players were unhappy the home side’s abrasive style went unchecked by referee Lee Mason.

Harry Kane suggested Spurs could have had more protection from the official, particularly when Jack Rodwell was shown only a yellow card for a knee-high tackle on Mousa Dembele.

Yet, Dier has no doubts about Spurs’ ability to mix it. “Physically, we are one of the best teams in the Premier League,” he said.

“I don’t think there is any team stronger than us. The physical aspect is becoming more and more important in modern sport, not just football, even though there is still room for technique and skill.

"People are paying more attention to every detail, such as sports science, to ensure they get more out of themselves.”

To have a chance of reaching the goals they have set themselves, Spurs are likely to need every last drop.