Toby Alderweireld was impressed by the tactical maturity Tottenham showed in their 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
The Bundesliga club controlled much of the game and had 67 per cent of the possession — a rarity against a Mauricio Pochettino team.
Spurs were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage last term after losing twice to Monaco and once to Bayer Leverkusen.
Alderweireld is confident, however, that the team have grown a lot since then.
“We didn’t play like children, we played like adults,” he said. “The game didn’t always go our way but we fought, we stayed compact, we tried to be dangerous when we broke.
“We had to learn quickly and we have done. It is a good step from last season and we are happy with it."
Meanwhile, Harry Kane has warned the rest of Europe to take Tottenham seriously after the victory over Dortmund.
“It is a statement — and that is what we wanted to make,” said Kane.
