Tottenham’s Clint Dempsey: Top-four finish would salvage our season

Clint Dempsey believes Tottenham Hotspur can salvage their season by finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.

Andre Villas-Boas’s side were beaten on penalties by Basel in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday night, with Emmanuel Adebayor and Tom Huddlestone missing the decisive spot-kicks.

And Dempsey has called on his Tottenham team-mates to bounce back from their European disappointment by cementing a top-four finish after a run of mixed results allowed Arsenal back into the race for Champions League football.

“We’re frustrated that we’re not in the Europa League any more but we have to regroup and focus on the league,” said Dempsey.

“We have to make sure we finish in fourth place and make sure we’re in the Champions League [qualifying round] next year. That’s the only thing we can do to salvage this season and say that we’ve had a good year.

“It is as black and white as that because the Champions League has been the goal for the season.

“We wanted to go as far as we could in all of the competitions and try to win something but we haven’t been able to do that in any of the cups and so now the only thing left to play for is the Champions League.”