It's been a dream week but I believe it can get better, says Benoit Assou-Ekotto - Football - Sport - Evening Standard
       

It's been a dream week but I believe it can get better, says Benoit Assou-Ekotto

I might have scored only twice in nearly six seasons for Tottenham but they were both spectacular strikes. Scoring goals like the one against Everton this week is cool because if ever I have a son or a daughter, I can show them the tape and be proud of it.

If you don't get goals very often, you don't want to score ugly ones and you could never say Wednesday's one, or my strike against Liverpool in the first game of the 2009-10 season, fell into that bracket.

When I received the ball against Everton, I didn't have anyone near me. If I'd lost it there, we could have faced a counter-attack and it could have been very dangerous, so I thought I would try. If I'd shot into the supporters, I could just have said sorry but I scored. Fantastic.

We are now level with Manchester United in second place and can go joint top tomorrow if we beat Wolves at White Hart Lane, because Manchester City don't play until Monday.

People keep asking me if we can win the title and what I would say is that nobody in the Premier League is invincible. We have to keep up and be ready, because you never know what will happen.

Sometimes at the weekend there are surprises, so if we can keep winning our games, anything can happen.

It is all in the mind. If all our players didn't have the same attitude, we could be in trouble but we are lucky because everyone has a huge desire to win every game.

We play good football and it's nice to watch. The players on the bench also want to be involved in the team and we have a good rapport together. In this situation, the only way is up. Will I get another goal against Wolves? One a year is enough for me.

Our priority has always been to make sure we get into the Champions League next season and so it's important that we continue our good run of form.

There's a good energy around the team but we know it might not be like this forever. However, we are all enjoying the moment and want to do all we can to make it last as long as possible. It's clear what three points would do for our League position and we're looking for a good performance and, hopefully, a winning one.

You will know that a lot of my fellow players from Africa have gone off for the African Cup of Nations and although I'm disappointed my country, Cameroon, didn't qualify, I'm happy and excited to be available for Harry Redknapp, especially at such an important stage of the season.

Imagine if things had gone differently. If Cameroon, South Africa and Togo had qualified, Spurs would have been without me, Sebastien Bassong, Steven Pienaar and Emmanuel Adebayor but as it has turned out, we are here for the team.

It has been an interesting period in the Premier League recently, with some legends returning to help their clubs. Thierry Henry scored the winning goal for Arsenal in their FA Cup tie against Leeds United, while the day before, Paul Scholes came out of retirement to help Manchester United knock out Manchester City and move into the fourth round of the same competition.

Harry has already suggested that we bring back Graham Roberts and Paul Miller to Tottenham for when we play Arsenal on February 26 but if we are to copy the trend of bringing back great former players, can I nominate David Ginola?

I know the supporters would love it and every team would benefit with some French style, strong character and cool hair!

Everything went right for me against Everton - I scored, I had a good match and set up the first goal for my good friend Aaron Lennon - but it's important to remember why we were playing that game in January.

We were, of course, supposed to have started our season against the Toffees but it was postponed because of the London riots. When I was at my barber's in Tottenham this week, someone had read the interview with Harry in the Standard, when he suggested that we players could do more within the community, such as coaching in schools.

I'm not sure Harry had this idea as a direct result of the riots, because he has felt that however much you do for the community, you can always do more.

I do think the riots made us all look a lot harder at ourselves and where we fit in and what we contribute to shaping the societies we live in.

I read sections of the interim report by the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel and I'm impressed with how quickly they were able to put something together.

I guess the problems are not new but there is so much more we can do and I know there is a great desire by many to do it.

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