Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup has admitted that his side are going through a "difficult" period at the moment.

The Swans extended their winless streak in the Premier League to eight matches courtesy of a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon, a result that leaves them just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Laudrup's side have been beset by injury problems this season and suffered another blow during the match as Jonjo Shelvey was forced off with a hamstring strain, joining Michu, Michel Vorm, Pablo Hernandez, Jonathan de Guzman, Nathan Dyer, Jose Canas and Garry Monk on the sidelines.

The Dane has acknowledged that things are not going too well for his side, but is hopeful that they can start afresh next week and pick up a victory against Birmingham City in the FA Cup on Saturday.

"Everything is black and negative right now. Let's start again tomorrow or the day after and see if we can get some players back to fitness and back in the team," PA quotes Laudrup as saying.

"Then it is a matter of getting a win, like with a lot of teams in our situation. Even if it seems a dark, difficult moment for us, we can say the other teams are still there around us.

"We just need a little more luck in certain situations."

Swansea face fellow strugglers Fulham in their next Premier League game on January 28.