Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has urged team-mates not to change the way they have been playing recently following the disappointing defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.
Spurs lost 4-2 after having fought to a comeback on two occasions and dominated the game statistically, but Lloris thinks positives could still be drawn out of the game despite the result.
Spurs are four points behind Chelsea but are yet to face Arsenal and Manchester United in the league following their visit to in-form Crystal Palace in two days.
“We knew before that this game can have maybe an impact for the rest of the season.” Lloris said. “But you know, in football you need to believe because everything is possible. And we don’t know what will happen in the next few weeks.
“They are human and that’s the case for us. The only thing we can do is keep working hard, keep believing and playing the same way that we play in the last few weeks.”
Lloris, who joined Spurs from Lyon in 2012, has not yet won a trophy at White Hart Lane, but hopes the progress which the team has undergone under Mauricio Pochettino will eventually get one for him.
“It’s my fifth season at Tottenham. And I can see the team is enjoying the flight and being able to compete against the best teams. It was the case today again [against Chelsea]. We took together all the responsibility. You know the most important thing, you can win, you can lose, but with your identity.
“It was the case today. That makes us proud. Because especially, in a great moment in football, like a semi-final of an FA Cup, you can lose your focus, lose your ability, and you cannot play in the way you are used to playing. But it was not the case today.”
Spurs controlled the ball for 63 per cent of the match and made five more shots than their opponents, but Conte’s side converted four out of their five shots on target. Lloris believes this is down to luck.
He added: “As I said, from the beginning we ran after the game, we ran after the score. We played in the way we wanted to play, that’s the most important thing.
“That’s why we have to keep our chins up. We made a good performance. And then it is about details. Chelsea, they are used to winning trophies. It’s a winning team. And maybe they have more experience than us.
“But we try to make a good balance. In the way we play, we try to push, try to get everything in offside in the way we play. But it was not good enough. In football there is always a part of luck.
“I’m still thinking that after the game. Because we tried our best but unfortunately they were more clinical that us.”
