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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v ASTON VILLA
CROUCH: FA CUP A PRIORITY
ComeOnSpurs.com 5th Feb 2010
Peter Crouch believes that Spurs may never have a better chance to pick up silverware than in this season's FA Cup.
Spurs beat Leeds 3-1 and convincingly in the fourth round replay at Elland Road on Wednesday night to make it through to a fifth-round tie at Bolton.
Only Chelsea remain of the 'big four' and a Wembley final is a realistic target for Harry Redknapp's men.
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"We're not stupid," said Crouch. "We know a lot of the big teams have been knocked out and it's a great chance for someone to do well, get to the final, maybe even win it, so we've got to be there or thereabouts.
"We've got enough quality to go on a good run.
"It's been a while for Tottenham and I think this is probably the best squad of players for a long, long time.
"We've got a good chance of having a good run.
"We've all got that belief that we can do well this year.
"There's no limit to what we can achieve.
"On our day we can beat anyone and we'll be looking to make sure we do as well as we can in the league but the FA Cup is certainly a priority."
Crouch is one Spurs player who has experience of winning the FA Cup, with Liverpool back in 2006.
"As a kid when I was growing up the FA Cup was the biggest competition," he said.
"Going all the way with Liverpool and lifting the trophy was probably the best moment of my career and I'd love to repeat that with Tottenham."
Tottenham have Jermain Defoe to thank for their place in the fifth round after the England man scored a hat-trick to win the Elland Road clash.
Defoe missed a sackful of chances in the first half and could have more to his name than the one that was cancelled out by Luciano Becchio to send the sides in level at the break.
"He's never going to let that affect him," said Crouch. "He's a top-class player and he's a goalscorer and he's going to keep getting in there and getting in there even if he misses and misses.
"To be honest it's very rare to see him miss.
"He's a fantastic finisher and he proved that in the second half."
For now Tottenham must put their cup aspirations to one side and concentrate on the league.
Spurs are leading a clutch of teams chasing the fourth Champions League spot, and next up on Saturday they face a stern test of their mettle when fellow hopefuls Aston Villa visit White Hart Lane.
"Villa are there or thereabouts, right near us in the league and if we've got any aspirations of finishing fourth we need to go there, certainly at White Hart Lane, and win games like that," said Crouch.
"They're fighting for a Champions League spot just like us.
"Three points for us and none for them gives us a bit of a gap so that's what we're looking to do, certainly at home.
"When you're a top side and you're challenging for things there's always big games because you can't afford to drop points."
That is a situation which rings true for Leeds, albeit at a lower level.
Their cup run, which saw them dump out Barclays Premier League champions and fierce rivals Manchester United before giving Tottenham a scare, came at the expense of their league form.
They have now given up leadership of League One to Norwich, but midfielder Mickey Doyle feels he and his team-mates should not be blaming their cup exploits.
"It's probably too easy of an excuse," he said. "We should have been taking more confidence from the cup games, the way we've performed.
"But we rested on our laurels a bit and when we got the results in the cup our league form suffered.
"I don't think we can really use that as an excuse."
He called on his team-mates to reproduce their cup form in the league, starting with Saturday's match at Hartlepool.
"It's a good incentive for us now for the rest of the season to try and match those types of performances," said Doyle.
"At the same time, they're the type of players we want to be playing against week in, week out - top-drawer players."
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