Ramos demanding more from Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur FC coach Juande Ramos' hopes of a third consecutive UEFA Cup triumph may live on but he was far from convinced by the display from his side in the 2-0 win at Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC.

First victory
Spurs had been sluggish in the early stages in Israel but goals from Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov in a five-minute spell midway through the first half secured the three points - their first in UEFA Cup Group G after Martin Jol's team were defeated 2-1 by Getafe CF in their opening game of the section, and the Dutchman's last at the club.

Damaging speculation
Berbatov had begun the day by issuing a statement insisting he was happy at White Hart Lane and that speculation about his future had affected his form but, despite heading in the second goal from a Steed Malbranque cross, Ramos did not single out the talented Bulgarian striker for praise. "I believe in looking at a team rather than at any particular individual players," said the 58-year-old.

Looking ahead
"We didn't play well enough but after the two goals I felt better and I could think about Sunday's game [at home to Wigan Athletic FC]," added the Spaniard. More pleasing to the former Sevilla FC coach was the fact that his players had grown angry at their inability to take more chances in the game. "It's positive from the point of view that the players want to take advantage of all the opportunities," said Ramos.

Positive ambition
"There were occasions when we should have done better to try and get another goal - that is possibly the reason why there were some differences between the players. But that ambition to do things well is positive. It was a typical UEFA Cup game and winning was very important for us after losing the first game. I was impressed with the performance, although we did not play at our best."

Confidence growing
Ramos will now turn his attention to helping Spurs climb the Premier League table by improving on just a single win from their first 12 games, and admits that rotating the large number of players at his disposal is crucial to getting them prepared for a long campaign. "I saw the team grow in confidence and I am confident about Sunday's match," noted Ramos. "I take into consideration the rotation of players and that is why players come on to the pitch fresh."