Dawson Proud of Tottenham Despite Losing Champions League Spot

Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson has expressed his frustrations over his team missing out on the Champions League next season despite finishing fourth in the Premier League; theoretically the last qualifying position for the continental tournament. Unfortunately, Chelsea's winning the Champions League this season means the Blues, as holders, will go through (despite finishing sixth in the league) at the expense of the last qualified team - Tottenham.

However, the 28 year old insisted Spurs should not be too upset because, according to him, the club "played some of the best football in the Premier League" this season and "deserved respect".

The former Nottingham Forest defender said he was proud of his club, despite many criticisms for a slump in form in the latter half of the season. Dawson also added the club was happy with a Europa League spot.

"We finished in the top four and you couldn't ask for much more. That was our aim at the start of the season and we achieved that," Sky Sports quoted Dawson as saying, "True, we were disappointed to be 10 points clear in third place and then to have that steadily eroded and overtaken."

"But we won a lot of tough games and picked ourselves up again after our disappointing spell to really make it start happening for us again, so we can't be too hard on ourselves," The Daily Mail reported Dawson as saying.

Dawson, who had a lot of fitness issues this season, featured in only four games for the Spurs this season before an injury (ankle ligament damage) in March sidelined the 28 year old defender for the remainder of Tottenham's campaign. However, Dawson seems to be keen on getting back to the pitch next season.

"I was back in action before Christmas and feeling fit and fantastic, but then in March I was unlucky again. The injury itself was just a freak. It was just one of those things that happen - there's nothing you can do about it - but I knew as soon as it happened that it was serious," he said, according to Goal.com

"I tried to get up again and when I failed I realised I was in trouble. I knew straight away that England would not be an issue for me this summer. Now all I want to concentrate on is getting myself fully fit because I'm already looking forward to pre-season," he added.