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Saturday, 19 September 2015 01:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Reuters: For a club of Tottenham Hotspur’s stature, they should be aiming to win the Europa League, manager Mauricio Pochettino said after the team’s 3-1 victory against Azerbaijani champions Qarabag on Thursday.
Pochettino’s side were knocked out of the Europa League by Italian club Fiorentina in the round of 32 last season but the Argentine appeared confident that they can do much better this term.
“It is not easy to win the Europa League. Whether it is more realistic or not is the big question, like last season,” Pochettino told reporters.
“As a big club we have to try to arrive in the final and win the Europa League,” he added.
Pochettino hailed the impact of summer recruit Heung-Min Son, who scored a brace on Thursday, and said his versatility would give a different dimension to their attack.
Son was brought into the Spurs’ squad to ease the goalscoring burden on Harry Kane, who netted 31 goals for the club last season but is yet to find the back of the net for Tottenham in the current campaign.
“He scored twice and played one hour. His performance - you can see I am very pleased with him, very happy. His adaptation to the club has been good from the beginning,” the former Southampton manager said of Son.
“He can also play wider. He has the quality to play in different positions on the pitch,” he added.
Pochettino also praised young midfielder Dele Alli, who made his European bow on Thursday.
“In pre-season Alli started to show that he can play like an experienced player. He showed personality and quality. He is a player who can play in the first team,” Pochettino said.
“But you have to be careful with an 19-year-old - it is important to care for him to keep the level for the season,” he added.
