Serge Aurier was in top form on Tuesday evening as he helped Tottenham complete a remarkable turnaround against Olympiacos.

Trailing 2-0 after a nightmare opening 20 minutes, the right-back scored the crucial third goal before they ran out 4-2 winners overall to seal a place in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Excellent against the Greek side as he started his second successive game under Jose Mourinho, it has not always been easy for the Ivorian with a number of poor performances since his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.

Now getting a good run in the team following Kieran Trippier's summer move to Atletico Madrid, the 26-year-old has opened up on his difficult display against Liverpool at the end of October and why he now believes he's in his "best period" for the Lilywhites.

"It's all about confidence," he told the club's matchday programme. "Starting the season with Mauricio Pochettino, I had some good games and then, after the game against Liverpool where we lost, people talked quite a bit about that performance.

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"In tough moments, we have to stay calm, not listen to anything that is being said externally. I know if I've had a bad game, I'm a footballer, I know when I have played well or when I have not.

"I've been here for three years now; I know when people aren't happy about my performance. I've played at Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse and, of course, it was the same there. I'm not young either. For me, I prepare myself for everything, every possibility, for good things and for bad things.

"It wasn't that easy when I arrived here because I didn't always play. It's difficult. Players need to be playing to keep their confidence. When you play each week, it's easy to stay in that same vein and mindset and keep your levels. I work hard to stay at that level so I can do my best for the team and the gaffer.

"When I came back in against Crystal Palace, my first game of the season, I gave everything and Mauricio was very happy with my performance that day. I want to keep at that level but sometimes, if the team is in a difficult period and when you suffer a defeat, people will talk about your personal performance, that's normal. When the team are winning, it's easier to show your qualities because everyone is at their best level.

"Now, I feel I'm in the right place. I need to stay in this mood and with this confidence because when I am like this, I am happy, I play well, I can give the team and the fans good energy.

This week football.london are running a special series of articles looking back at the key moments from the last decade for Spurs.

Each day, there will be three new articles; one in the morning, one at lunchtime and one in the evening.

Here are some of the best bits so far...

"I think I'm at my best period, especially with the team winning back-to-back games but we need to do more and work harder. We might have won 4-2 against Olympiacos but there are still many parts of our game that we need to get right - it was by two clear goals that we won but we are conceding too many, so we need to say focused for the full 90 minutes. We have to stay together in difficult moments, like at the start of the Olympiacos game.

"Obviously, it's good to win but we want to be in control and dominate games. We know what we need to do to get to that point, so everyone is working towards that."

Link:
Serge Aurier speaks out on that Liverpool display, his form and why he's in his 'best period' - Football.London