Mauricio Pochettino focussed on the positives for Tottenham despite a "tough" 3-0 International Champions Cup defeat to Manchester City in Nashville.
With the 2017-18 Premier League season just two weeks away, Spurs were outgunned as Pep Guardiola's side swept to a convincing win in Tennessee with goals from John Stones, Raheem Sterling and Brahim Diaz.
The scoreline could have been even worse for Spurs had Sergio Aguero finished two chances which both hit the inside of the post, while Gabriel Jesus missed a close-range sitter as City overran Pochettino's men.
But the Spurs coach insists that the defeat against potential Premier League title rivals City was important only in the context of allowing his players to build fitness for the coming campaign.
"It’s the same message after PSG and Roma,” Pochettino told the club's official website. "It’s tough to lose, always, but the priority is not about the result, it’s about getting fit and playing.
"Then, it’s difficult to judge. It’s not a Premier League game. We are working to try to get fit and the objective is to start in the best condition at Newcastle.
"Now, it’s about work. We’ve played tough games in America in testing conditions and the most important thing is to train and get fit.
"So okay, I think City were better but we need to continue working hard and to be positive.
"Players played 90 minutes and that is very good news before the start of the Premier League. That’s a good feeling."
