Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen has claimed that he and his teammates need to do better against the bigger teams in the Premier League.

The North London outfit failed to strike in last weekend's goalless draw against Liverpool, but they managed a 4-1 triumph over Manchester City last month.

Defensively, Spurs have conceded seven goals in nine top-flight games when Vertonghen was playing.

"We always did well against the smaller teams and this season we want to show we're ready to compete for the top places," FourFourTwo quotes Vertonghen as saying.

"I think we need to win these games - like against City at home, Liverpool, the Chelsea game we won last season. If you want to compete you have to win against your rivals so it's a shame we didn't beat Liverpool."

Tottenham, who are unbeaten in their last eight league games, are currently seventh in the table.