King: Blunders at the back will end Wembley dreams

Spurs take on Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the semi-final tomorrow night with only Derby, Sunderland and Reading having a worse defensive record than them in the league.

The club's inability to keep a clean sheet cost them at the same stage of the competition against Arsene Wenger's young side last season. They were 2-0 up after 21 minutes of the first match at White Hart Lane, only to eventually lose 5-3 on aggregate.

King, who missed last year's defeat with a foot injury, has just returned to fitness after a knee problem but his presence on the pitch on Saturday couldn't prevent a disappointing 2-2 draw with a weakened Reading side in the FA Cup third round.

And now the England international has told his team-mates they will have to be a lot stronger at the back if they are to have a hope of playing at Wembley next month.

He said: "We know that we haven't been defending well enough as a team and it is something we have to put right if we want to achieve things. It's as simple as that really, so we will work hard to do that.

"We know that against a side like Arsenal, we can't afford to make many mistakes so that will be in our plans when we go to the Emirates. We will want to stay solid because we know we can score goals.

"We will have to defend a lot better than we did last year if we are to go through. Our defeat last year was one of our biggest disappointments."

But King is adamant that the players are delighted to have the chance to get revenge for last year's painful defeat to their rivals.

He added: "We are hungry to put that right and we are happy we have got the chance to play them again.

"It's in our hands and we will have the second leg at White Hart Lane this time so hopefully we can set it up nicely in the first leg.

"We have learned a lot from last season's disappointment and we will be stronger this time around. There are new players in, the manager has changed, but the core of the team is still the same.

The England international is not the loudest member of the dressing room, but reveals even he has begun to start losing his patience with the amount of mistakes being made.

He said: "There are times when teams and players have arguments, it's part of the desire to do well. Players want others to be aware at all times on the pitch, that's what makes us stronger."

Should he start against Arsenal, King is likely to be marking the Gunners' inform striker Eduardo, who today claimed the atmosphere of a north London derby does not compare to hostilities he experienced in Croatia.

Eduardo, who played in a number of clashes for former club Dinamo Zagreb against bitter rivals Hajduk Split, said: "The matches are similar and both full of intensity - but the fans in the north London derby seem to be more civil to one another, while in Croatia the segregation has to be very strictly enforced.

"I think my experience in matches like this does help when we come up against the likes of Spurs, so I'm looking forward to the Carling Cup game and am hoping to feature again." Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to keep faith with Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner in attack as he continues to use the competition as an excuse to field fringe players.

Eduardo says he is enjoying his partnership with the young Danish forward and feels they can score the goals to help his side reach the final at Wembley.

He added: "We've played together in the Carling Cup and Champions League, so we knew what to expect from each other.

"We have a decent understanding and I know what a big talent he is. We complement each other well."