Monday 2 March 2015 15:05, UK
Nabil Bentaleb hopes Tottenham can cheer up their supporters by beating Swansea on Wednesday night and getting their bid to qualify for the Champions League back on track.
Tottenham’s hopes of ending their seven-year trophy drought were dashed on Sunday as they lost 2-0 to London rivals Chelsea in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley.
The Chelsea loss came four days after Spurs’ elimination from the Europa League at the hands of Fiorentina, but Bentaleb remains confident of the team’s chances of finishing in the top four.
"We have only the Premier League to focus on and it will be a good race for the top four. The manager told us we had to bounce back for the game against Swansea," Bentaleb said.
"We have to take the disappointment in the right way. Now we have to put some smiles back on our faces and on our fans' faces and Wednesday is a good chance to do it.
"I have experienced disappointment before, for example at the World Cup last summer when Germany knocked out Algeria. This was my first final and I hope we can learn from it."
Bentaleb was involved in a flashpoint incident during Sunday’s first half after he was pushed in the face by fiery Chelsea striker Diego Costa.
But the Tottenham midfielder refused to condemn the Brazil-born Spain international, insisting incidents like that are commonplace in English football.
"Was he lucky not to be given a card? Maybe. I don't know what was happening in his head, but I stayed focused on my game," Bentaleb said.
"Sometimes you have arguments with players. It's nothing bad. This kind of thing happens every weekend."
