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Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has insisted that the team can still secure a top-four Premier League finish, but results need to be more consistent for that to be possible.
After an impressive 3-2 victory away to champions Manchester City on February 19, Spurs followed up by losing to strugglers Burnley 1-0, beating Leeds away 4-0 and then losing 1-0 to Championship side Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
Hojbjerg, speaking at an event for William Hill, told Sportsmail that becoming more consistent is something the players and manager Antonio Conte are focused on ‘putting right’ as they prepare for the Premier League run in.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is refusing to give up hope of securing a top-four finish this season
Antonio Conte’s side must rid yo-yo form to break into the top four, the midfielder believes
Tottenham go into Monday night’s game with Everton in seventh, six points adrift of Arsenal
Describing the team’s inconsistency as ‘obviously not good’, he said: ‘If you beat City away you should follow that up by not losing the game after. And we did. That’s why this question is, rightly so, asked but it’s a bit difficult to explain short and sharp, maybe it’s a bigger question?
‘But it’s something we are definitely aware of and working on and not happy with of course, at all.’
Hojbjerg added: ‘Obviously, it’s a fact. It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact that we won one, lost one and won one and lost one. Yeah, that’s not what you call consistency is it? In those terms, definitely we have to be on the right track.’
Spurs currently lie seventh in the Premier League, six points off fourth placed Arsenal, who they still have to face in a rearranged north London derby.
Hojbjerg (right) called on team-mates to find consistency, having beaten Man City (pictured)
Hojbjerg maintained that under Conte the team has been ‘working hard’ to consistently win more matches.
He revealed: ‘We are working hard every day, we are analysing a lot, we are spending a lot of time together in terms of the details that can shift the result or the momentum. We are working very hard to turn this one around. Stability is key, definitely you have to dig deep.’
Spurs face Everton at home on Monday night with Hojbjerg hopeful that it might kick-start a more consistent set of results, while conceding that it will be a difficult match against a team fighting for Premier League survival.
He said: ‘It’s a great challenge, a team that is fighting at the bottom end but has great players and now a new manager who comes in with fresh ideas so obviously the team wants to prove themselves and show that they don’t belong where they are at the moment.
‘This is always a difficult task to play against, but we have to be ready, we have to be well prepared and we have to put things right.’
Despite Tottenham’s unpredictable performances, Hojbjerg maintained that the team’s ambition remains a top four finish.
That result at City was followed up with disappointment and it is hurting their top-four hopes
He said: ‘I can give you a big explanation or a big singalong but as long as the chances are there it’s something that you have to work to achieve. For me it’s difficult to put words into it, it’s better that the team show it by action.
‘But the chances are there which means that the ambition is there. We are still trying our best for a top-four finish and as long as it’s possible, we have the ambition to do it. We are giving our best to achieve our targets and we have to fight for this.’
Central midfielder Hojbjerg has 52 Denmark caps and described seeing his international team-mate Christian Eriksen back in the Premier League with Brentford, just seven months after he suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for his country, as ‘beautiful.’
Hojbjerg said: ‘It’s beautiful that he’s back on the pitch and doing what he loves to do.
‘It’s certainly a big joy and a big relief so in that case amazing and then to also see him in the same league, it’s very nice. I’m happy for him, I’m happy for his family and it’s fantastic to see him back.’
Hojbjerg and Eriksen will both be hoping to represent Denmark at this year’s World Cup in Qatar, the first time the tournament is being held in the winter.
He said that it was too early to say how players will prepare for the tournament, which kicks off on November 21, or what his nation’s ambitions are.
Hojbjerg added: ‘We want to show the world that we are a very good football team and then to see how far we can take it. We look forward to it with a great desire and hunger.
Hojbjerg is delighted to see Christian Eriksen, a close friend, return to the Premier League
Team-mates with Denmark, Hojbjerg (left) said it was a ‘beautiful’ moment for his compatriot
‘We have a good generation; we have a very good coach, and the team has done well and are still building. It’s a nice test for us and the country to show what we can do. It will be a big challenge but also a very exciting one.’
With Tottenham’s top four hopes hanging in the balance, Hojbjerg insisted that the team was determined to improve because ultimately, success is measured with ‘medals and trophies’.
He said: ‘At the moment we are trying to improve because we have to improve. But as long as the will and the desire to improve, to always try to get back up again and do your best, then that’s the key.
‘At the moment it’s day by day, it’s hard work and it’s a bit up and down so it’s important to keep the head straight and focus on what is still possible. Many things are possible and the will, the hope and the desire are definitely there. It’s easy to say but we have to show it.’
William Hill is the proud betting partner of Tottenham Hotspur. For all of the latest Premier League odds and specials visit williamhill.com or download the William Hill app.
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