Defeat at Spurs on Saturday put Harry Redknapp's sixth-placed side further out of touch of rivals Everton.

It means they are now seven points off seizing an automatic UEFA Cup spot through fifth place in the Premier League.

At least qualification through the FA Cup is still achievable, with a semi-final against West Brom on April 5.

Johnson, who joined David James in England's final squad to face France while pal Jermain Defoe was surprisingly cut, is refusing to become blinded by possible Cup glory.

The former Chelsea defender insists he and his team-mates are as focused as ever on breaking into the Premier League's top five.

He said: 'Against Spurs we were disappointed to lose right at the end. We're disappointed to lose any game.

'We had a few key players out such as Jermain and that affected us a little bit.

'But we're still doing well this season.

'I don't like to tempt fate but the FA Cup is our best chance of getting into Europe.

'We have a good chance of getting to the final at Wembley and winning the competition, but we have to take every game as it comes.

'We want to finish as high as we can and we can't afford to just forget about the league.

'We need to focus on games, like Spurs on Saturday, and Wigan next week, and then the semi-final when it comes around.

'We won't just focus on the semi-final and Wembley as these league matches are important to us.'

Johnson and James were named in Fabio Capello's 23-man squad to face France after the match on Saturday.

Although, bizarrely there was no place for red-hot six-goal striker Defoe.

Johnson's call-up puts him in line for his first cap since August 2005 – and he's relishing the prospect.

He added: 'It is every kid's dream to play for England so obviously, I'm over the moon. My first cap came at a young age and this is an opportunity to add to that.'