Having guided Tottenham into the group stages of the Champions League for the first time ever, Harry Redknapp is eyeing an historic European campaign at White Hart Lane.

Harry Redknapp has weaved his magic once again to help Tottenham qualify for the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. When Redknapp took charge of the north London club back in October 2008, they were struggling at the bottom of the Premier League and had only taken two points from their opening eight league games. But the former West Ham and Portsmouth boss has managed to assemble one of the best young squads in the country and they showed their potential when they managed to finish fourth in the Premier League last season. With the additions of Sandro, William Gallas, Stipe Pletikosa and Rafael Van der Vaart during the summer, Redknapp is hoping they can enjoy a memorable run in the Champions League this season.

Q. Harry, what does it mean for you to be managing Tottenham in the Champions League?

A. It is a fantastic feeling to help Tottenham qualify for the Champions League group stages. As a kid, I used to come training here at Tottenham and I watched the games with Benfica and remember all of those great days. It was amazing at that time to see European football being played at White Hart Lane. It was amazing the way this place was jumping at night and to bring it back to this club is fantastic. The atmosphere was great against Young Boys in the Champions League qualifier and it was good for the fans. That is what those nights are about really – the supporters – and we’ve given them the Champions League to look forward to and it’s good for them. This is a club with European tradition under the great Bill Nicholson. I wouldn’t be in the same class as him and never will be. But it’s great for the club to be in this position now.

Q. Tottenham have always been regarded as a famous cup team. Why do you think they have failed to challenge for a Champions League place before this season?

A. Tottenham were a club that had underachieved for a long time. The potential was here but they never seemed to fulfil it. If you look at that team that played against Young Boys, certainly eight or nine of those players were here when I came. It’s not as if I’ve bought a new team. Even Jermain Defoe was here before and I brought him back, so it was more or less the same I inherited really. It was more about installing a bit of confidence in them, getting them playing, maybe changing their attitudes in some cases and they’ve responded. We finished fourth last year and that has put us in this position. It was important we didn’t waste this opportunity. We nearly did – we had a difficult day in Switzerland, but we got out of it and we finished the job at home. 

Q. What are your feelings on the draw for the group stages, after you were paired alongside reigning champions Inter Milan? Who do you feel could be the toughest opponents?

A. There are no easy teams in the  Champions League. There are good teams all over Europe. Teams are well coached all over the world and teams know what they are doing. Are we worried about taking on Inter? We will treat every team with respect, as no one gets into this competition unless they are a top, top outfit. But, on our day, we are capable of beating anyone. Inter’s stars are used to the biggest football stage in Europe. But I’m pretty sure my players will make the biggest and richest clubs take a close look at how good they really are. When I came to White Hart Lane, the dream was to get into the group stages and we have achieved that. Everyone is looking forward to going to Inter, Bremen and Twente.

Q. How much more improvement do Tottenham need to make before they can be a real force in the Champions League?

A. I think we have to keep improving. No one knows all the answers and I think you have to improve, whether they are international players or not. Everyone has to work hard on their technique and understanding of the game. I can improve Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon. I can improve the front two and midfield players if they want to work hard and open their minds up. They are all open to improvement. I have got four good strikers here and some great defenders. There is good competition everywhere. I am lucky that I have got such a good squad. Gareth Bale could be the best left-sided player. There are not too many who are better than him. There is no reason why Tottenham cannot compete with the big boys. We have got a new stadium on the way and hopefully the club will keep moving onwards and upwards – and why not? It’s a big club with great support.

Q. How important is it that the Tottenham players don’t focus all their attentions on the Champions League this season and let their Premier League form slip in the process?

A. We have to make sure that we don’t let the Champions League compromise our position in the Premier League. There was not much in it last season and we were not that far away from Arsenal. If Arsenal had lost their last game of the season and we would have won ours, we would have finished above them. I would love to finish in the top four again and obviously play in the Champions League again. We are aiming for the top and if we can finish in the top four it will be a great year for us. I think we could be close [to winning the title]. You need players who’ve won things and been around the place.

Q. With the number of players you have got in the squad, will you be rotating them for the Champions League this season?

A. I said to my players, “We’ve got a lot of good players, you’re all going to be involved, don’t let your heads go down because you’re not playing. We’ve got Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday,Wednesday, Saturday… we’ve got a lot of games and you’re all part of it.”  It’s becoming more of a squad system. It’s not like years ago when Liverpool were winning championships with, I don’t know, 14 or 15 players. If we can have a run in Europe, we will need to rotate an awful lot. You get a lot more injuries now. But I am really happy with the squad we have got. I’ve got four strikers in Defoe, [Peter] Crouch, [Roman] Pavlyuchenko and [Robbie] Keane. I brought in William Gallas as well and signed Rafael Van der Vaart on transfer deadline day. I’m okay everywhere.