Tottenham Hotspur head coach Juande Ramos is refusing to play for the draw they need against Anderlecht tonight to reach the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup, insisting his team will look for victory.
Spurs may get out of Group G even with defeat at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels but it is not in Ramos' philosophy to play for anything less than maximum points.
It was attacking football that won him consecutive UEFA Cups with Sevilla and making it a hat-trick will also need plenty of goals, given Spurs' leaky defence.
'As a trainer I always set out to win every game I play, independent of the opposition or the competition,' said the Spaniard.
'I like attacking football, but it's fundamental they are supported by the defence to get good results.
'The best form of defence is attack, that is the philosophy we are trying to implement and, hopefully, we will do it against Anderlecht.'
Playing for a goalless draw would be almost impossible for a Spurs defence so short on confidence and numbers.
Ledley King, Anthony Gardner and Ricardo Rocha are missing at centre-back, while Gareth Bale and Benoit Assou-Ekotto are the injured full-backs.
Despite the shortage, error-prone Younes Kaboul has stayed home following blunders against West Ham United and Birmingham City in his last two appearances.
Ramos insisted the decision was made so he could utilise his squad and he also confirmed the club would not be looking to send the France Under-21 defender on loan next month.
'I don't know why I would send Kaboul out on loan,' said Ramos.
'He is our player and we are very satisfied and happy he is with us. We have a squad and we have to try and let all of the players play, participate and feel important.
'I don't think Kaboul is depressed. He is a young lad who is very focused and with lots of desire. I am convinced he is looking forward to playing again and he has the quality to do so.'
Midfielder Didier Zokora has found himself in defence as Spurs have chased results recently, and he is confident of Kaboul coming back rather than going the way of other calamitous Spurs centre-backs such as Ramon Vega.
'It's difficult for Younes but he is a strong boy and he can come back,' said Zokora.
The midfielder is determined to make it a hat-trick of UEFA Cups for Ramos by getting a result at Anderlecht in a repeat of the 1984 final.
'That is my dream,' he said. 'It's a great challenge for Spurs. It's difficult for us because we are losing games but if we win against Anderlecht the confidence will be back.'
