Mauricio Pochettino was proud of his youthful Tottenham side following defeat in Sunday's Capital One Cup loss to Chelsea.
Spurs conceded to Blues captain John Terry in the first half while Kyle Walker's second-half own-goal compounded the result but it was a positive showing by the north Londoners at Wembley which suggested to Pochettino that there is plenty to look forward to at White Hart Lane.
"Chelsea are one of the best teams in the world, with very good players," Pochettino told Sky Sports.
"We are young. They have players who have played in 12, 13 or 14 finals.
"For a lot of players it was their first final, so we are proud. Congratulations to Chelsea.
"I am disappointed for our supporters, but we made a big effort.
"It is hard, but we need to look forward. This is the first step for this group. We are strong and showed plenty of character and personality."
