Lloris forced to work at Spurs

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says he did not expect such stiff competition for a place when he agreed to move to White Hart Lane.

The France No.1 joined Spurs on the final day of the transfer window, but had to wait until September 20 for his debut as Andre Villas-Boas was unwilling to displace the in-form Brad Friedel.

However, after intermittent displays, Lloris has now started Spurs’ last five games, and the goalkeeper says he did not expect to find first-team opportunities so hard to come by.

When asked if he now considers himself as first choice, Lloris replied: “You need to talk to the coach.

“When we negotiated the transfer, I did not expect to be second choice. I adapted and tried to earn playing time,” he told L’Equipe

“I have enough perspective to make sense of things. I’ve never asked about my situation. In training, I give my maximum.”

Lloris, though, was unwilling to focus on his own performances, instead looking towards the team’s goal of qualifying for the Champions League.

Spurs finished fourth last season, but missed out on a Champions League place because of Chelsea’s European success in May, and the goalkeeper admitted that a similar finish will prove tough this term.

“We must continue thinking about the team. We are aiming to finish in the top four in order to compete in the Champions League next year. This will require a lot of effort. This is a difficult league where nothing is a foregone conclusion.”

Lloris also believes there is a significant difference between the Premier League and Ligue 1 and the 25-year-old likened English top-flight matches to European contests.

“I watched the Premier League before I moved, but you must play in it to really experience it,” he added.

“It is certainly different from Ligue 1. Against teams like Liverpool, it is similar to the Champions League.

“But, more importantly, there is very little downtime. It goes in all directions. It is sometimes a little crazy. Teams never give up. That is the beauty of English football.”