Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino admits his players are finally starting to believe they can win the Premier League title.
Pochettino’s men moved up to second in the table after a second-half strike from Kieran Trippier sealed a 1-0 win over Watford at White Hart Lane.
It is Spurs’ fourth consecutive victory in the league and means they now sit one point above third-placed Manchester City and five behind surprise front-runners Leicester.
Tottenham have not been so high in the league with 25 games played since 2012 and Pochettino says his team are now daring to dream.
“You can see in their eyes, the feeling, the energy, that they believe,” Pochettino said.
“In football belief is the most important word. If we believe, anything can happen. I believe in my squad and they believe too in the way we play. This synergy is very important for the future.
“But it is better not to speak too much, only to show, to work hard.
“This is the better way to show we are ready to compete and after, we see what happens. But the most important thing is to do rather than speak.”
Pochettino’s men took to the field shortly after Leicester had stunned Manchester City with a 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Spurs visit City next while Leicester travel to Arsenal in what could prove to be a crucial weekend in the title race. Tottenham have not been crowned champions since 1961.
“It’s real we are in a very good position but we need to keep working and not think too much about the future,” Pochettino said.
“For me, historically Tottenham is one of the biggest clubs in England. It is not a surprise we are in a good position.
“Maybe in the last few years, but in the past Tottenham showed they are one of the best clubs in England.
“Leicester fully deserve their position and how they won the game they completely deserved it because they were better than Manchester City.”
Spurs dominated the Hornets throughout the contest but were thwarted until the 64th minute when substitute Dele Alli crossed for Trippier to slot home his first goal for the club.
Alli had started on the bench after feeling dizzy against Norwich on Tuesday but the 19-year-old took just three minutes to make an impact after coming on as a replacement.
“He is a very good player, a fantastic player,” Pochettino said.
“It was difficult for him Tuesday because he felt bad and it was impossible to play on in the game.
“Today we took a decision to look after him, he is very young. The decision was to start him on the bench and in the second half he made a real impact when he came on the pitch.”
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