Hugo Lloris: Tottenham Hotspur lack maturity to win Premier League title over Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris feels his side do not have the "maturity" required to beat Arsenal and Manchester City to the Premier League title, in a remarkable admission from the France goalkeeper. Mauricio Pochettino's side are currently six points adrift of the summit after 20 games of the season and are expected to be among the contenders for the crown come the sharp end of the campaign.

With just two defeats this season and the best defensive record in the top flight, Spurs are among the most consistent sides in the EPL. However, no member of the current squad at White Hart Lane has won a league title in England. Pochettino has been non-committal over whether his side can launch a bid to win their first ever Premier League gong.

Lloris is among the senior members of the Tottenham squad and he feels a lack of winning experience in the team will hinder them as they pursue a first title since 1961. The Frenchman insists the winning mentality within Arsenal and City's squads give them the upper-hand in a frank appraisal of his teammates.

"We don't have the maturity of some teams, like [Manchester] City or Arsenal," the Tottenham man told the Evening Standard. "You need experience. You can't buy it. You need to play games, you need to lose, you need to win.

"We are young, we are talented, we are doing well, there is a great spirit in the team and we are working hard, so everything is positive -- but we need to go step by step. We will see where we are before the last 10 games, but at the moment we want to fight and stay as high as possible in the table.

"When we started the season, we wanted to do as well as possible. It's a great chance for us. We are in a great position at the moment and we need to take advantage of that. The most important thing is to have no regrets at the end of the season. We must focus on ourselves and not think too much. We have four points from our last two away games, at Watford and Everton, which is a good return."

Despite not being perceived to have the maturity to contest for the title, Tottenham have shown themselves more than able to challenge Arsenal and City on the field. Earlier in the season, Pochettino's side drew 1-1 with Arsene Wenger's team at The Emirates Stadium, while they ran out 4-1 winners against City in an emphatic victory.