Jermain Defoe: Tottenham cannot afford to ‘switch off’ against AC Milan in Champions League

UEFA Champions League, FC Twente and Tottenham Hotspur,Jermain Defoe and Wilson Palacios (Getty Images)

Related Links

Teams

Players

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has urged his side to remain “very professional” in the second leg of their Champions League tie against AC Milan and has warned they cannot afford to “switch off” for a second.

The north Londoners go into the tie leading 1-0 from the first leg, courtesy of a Peter Crouch goal, and Defoe thinks the Italians will come to White Hart Lane and make life difficult for Tottenham.

“I think they will come and sit back and try to frustrate us a little and make it difficult,” he said.

“I think in games like that you have to be very professional.

“Champions League games are a bit slower than Premier League games so you get a slow build-up and you have to keep possession, not get sloppy and not switch off because if you do that just once then they will punish you with the players they have got.”

The England international is also fully aware of the danger AC Milan possess up front, but is confident his side can prevail.

“They have [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Pato so it’s important not to switch off and to focus all the time,” he added.

“If we do that then hopefully we will win.”

Defoe is without a goal since early January when he netted twice in the FA Cup win over Charlton Athletic and he admitted he needed games to return to his best form.

“It has been a funny time for me lately, a bit stop-start,” he said.

“What I need is a run of games to pick up the rhythm. That’s when I’m at my best.

“A lot of my goals are instinctive, about sharpness. When you’re scoring, you’re in the zone. You can’t snatch at things because you are trying too hard.

“Last season, because I got into my rhythm, I was relaxed. If I scored in the previous game, I’d tell myself: ‘just do what you did last time’. It’s such a mental thing.

“I’ve just got to keep working and getting into positions because I know if I score one, I’ll get more.”

Indeed the striker’s lack of goals this season has seen him slump dramatically down the Castrol Rankings from a ranking of 18 in September to a current low of 660.