Alli vows to end Spurs' 11-year trophy drought
Dele Alli has pledged to end Tottenham's 11-year wait for a major trophy as his side head into an explosive League Cup semi-final showdown with Chelsea tomorrow morning (Singapore time) .
Tottenham haven't won a leading competition since they beat Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final. But Spurs midfielder Alli is convinced the north London club will finally add to their trophy cabinet this season.
Tottenham are still in the Champions League and FA Cup, and also have an outside chance in the English Premier League title race.
But it is the League Cup that presents their first opportunity to end the silverware drought, starting with their last-four, first-leg clash against bitter rivals Chelsea at Wembley.
While the League Cup is often written off as an after-thought for the top clubs, England star Alli is adamant Mauricio Pochettino's team must use the tournament as the catalyst to kick-start a successful period.
League Cup glory would also secure a first major prize for Pochettino, who is widely regarded as one of Europe's brightest young coaches but has yet to win a single trophy in his managerial career with Tottenham, Southampton and Espanyol.
"I think every game, every competition, you want to win it," Alli said.
"As players, you want to get as far in the cup as we can, hopefully win it.
"We want to win trophies, that's our aim and we've been playing well.
"We've been getting quite far in recent years without quite having the finishing product at the end and not getting over the line."
Tottenham crushed fourth-tier minnows Tranmere 7-0 in the FA Cup third round last Friday as Pochettino used only three first-team regulars in a bid to keep his key men fresh for the Chelsea tie.
Alli was one of the trio who featured in the rout at Prenton Park and he expects Pochettino's plan to pay dividends against the Blues.
Tottenham lost the 2015 League Cup final against Chelsea, but have won their last two meetings, including a swaggering 3-1 success in the league at Wembley in November.
Maurizio Sarri's side, who host the semi-final, second leg on Jan 22, will give late fitness tests to striker Olivier Giroud (ankle) and winger Pedro (hamstring). Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is out with a back injury. - AFP
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