Mauricio Pochettino has told Tottenham they cannot afford to start slowly in tonight's Europa League clash against Gent.
Spurs will be clear favourites at the Ghelamco Arena, having dropped into Europe's secondary competition following an unsuccessful Champions League campaign.
But the north Londoners are not expected to go into the game riding a wave of confidence after suffering a chastening 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last time out.
Harry Kane has warned his teammates to expect a "hostile atmosphere" from the home crowd and Pochettino is adamant Spurs must start the game on the front foot.
“It will be tough. They are always dangerous at home. We need to be ready to fight and to try to win the game," he told Tottenham's official website.
"We know there are two games - away and then back at Wembley - and we need to take home a good result.
“It’s important for us to be aggressive from the first minute and not to wait until the second half. We need to play, to be dynamic and play from the first minute," Pochettino added.
The Europa League does not benefit from a glowing reputation among some English fans, with critics claiming a Thursday-Sunday schedule is detrimental to domestic competitions.
But Pochettino, who has suggested he will make a number of changes to his starting line-up tonight, remains determined to progress to the latter stages.
“The Europa League is a competition where we’ll try to go as far as we can," added the Argentine coach.
“It’s always good after a disappointment to have another opportunity as soon as possible and we have the opportunity to change the feeling in a different competition."
