Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino believes he needs to "try and win some trophies" in his first season at the club as he looks to give himself a platform to build for the future.
Argentine tactician Pochettino has yet to win a major honour in his coaching career, but he has a great opportunity to take a giant stride towards a place in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley in March when his Spurs side take on League One rivals Sheffield United in the first leg of the semifinal on Wednesday.
Pochettino accepts his reputation as one of the rising coach's of European football will only be cemented if he starts adding silverware to his record, with his next test offering him an ideal chance to move towards that ambition.
"It is time to try and win some trophies in my career as a manager and in a place where it is possible," he told reporters.
"We have full respect for every competition. The Capital One Cup, the FA Cup, the Europa League and the Premier League, but the next game is always the most important one.
"We have a strong squad. We need to be fresh, because we will need energy and we will need to be strong. We need to play and to be better than Sheffield United. We need to show that we deserve to be in the final. So this will be like a final."
Meanwhile, Pochettino has rejected reports in Germany linking his misfiring striker Roberto Soldado with a move to Bayer Leverkusen, as he said his side's continuing interest in Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup competitions means the departure of players is not on his agenda.
"We want to keep all our players, I say this many times," he added. "We need a strong squad, but there is nothing else to say on this. I am happy with the squad.
"I am happy with him [Soldado]. He is an important player in the squad and he is in my plans. I expect him to be here, we have ahead a lot of games. We are still in four competitions and we need a strong squad to take the games we have in my future. All players are in my plans.
"We have a lot of games. We are still in four competitions. I think we need a strong squad to take all the games we have in the future."