Cudicini calls on Spurs to show strength
442 Staff - Tuesday 17 April 2012, 15:46
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini has urged his Spurs team-mates to show strength and heart, in order to arrest their alarming slide in form.
Speaking after his side's 5-1 defeat to rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, Cudicini told the club's official website:
"The result hurt a lot, for many reasons, we lost and we really wanted to be in the final.
"It's a big test for us now to see how we are as a team, and as [individual] players."
Cudicini, who is likely to be replaced by Brad Friedel for Saturday’s away trip to another London rival Queens Park Rangers, believes team spirit will take Spurs into the top four at the end of the season.
"We need to stick together. It's a bad defeat but we need to show the strength and heart to get back to winning ways and finish the season in the right way.
"We have five games to go and we want to be playing Champions League football next season. We want to be there."
Spurs, who will certainly be boosted by Arsenal's 2-1 defeat against Wigan Athletic, host Blackburn Rovers and Fulham in between away trips to Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa after Saturday’s game with QPR, and could find themselves just two points behind third-placed Arsenal should they win at Loftus Road.
By Dean Mears