Toby: “We put our hearts on the pitch”

Festive time in the Premier League, and Toby Alderweireld has reiterated the message of trying to win every game as we go along.

That theory resonates even more at this time of year, as we prepare for a quick triple-header of Premier League fixtures against Wolves on Sunday (27 December, 7.15pm), Fulham (30 December, 6pm) and Leeds United (2 January, 12.30pm).

By the time the whistle blows on the final game of 2020 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Fulham, we will have played 25 times in the Premier League, Europa League and Carabao Cup in 110 days so far in 2020/21.

It’s also been a tough little spell in the Premier League for the first time this season. Having lost on the opening day against Everton, we went 11 matches unbeaten, topped the table by beating Arsenal and stayed there with a point at Palace on 13 December. Two matches and two losses later, we’re down to sixth.

“You see how quickly it can go in the Premier League,” said Toby. “It’s so tough, and you see that in the results. Every game is like a final. I know it’s a cliché, but we have to see it game by game.

“We really want to win every game. That’s how we go into it. We’re a difficult team to beat, we put our hearts on the pitch and that’s the way we have to do it. We’ll see how far it takes us. This season we have showed we belong up there, but it’s up to us. We have to improve, keep playing as well as we are and then try to do even better.”

We’ve conceded only 14 goals in our 14 Premier League matches as Toby and Eric Dier continue to develop their partnership in central defence.

Toby added: “We have a good connection, talk a lot, try to group our game together, and that’s important. He always wants to improve, and you can see he’s comfortable in that position. We knew that before, but he’s showed it to everyone.

“Defensively, you have to have a good shape and from there, we know we have the quality to make a difference. We can score a goal from anywhere, and it’s unbelievable to have that.”