Clash of titans as Spurs face Real

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Zidane, Pochettino will look to outwit each other as their teams battle in quest to top Group H

LONDON: When Tottenham clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League at Wembley on Wednesday, the glamour tie will provide the backdrop for a fascinating touchline duel between Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane.

Tottenham boss Pochettino and Madrid coach Zidane are both highly regarded managers who have assembled teams capable of winning Europe’s elite club prize, but the pair could not have taken more contrasting journeys to the top of their profession.

Pochettino, 45, has enjoyed a remarkable transformation from journeyman Argentine defender to coveted coach while Zidane, who is the same age, is the French World Cup winner whose brilliance in his glittering playing career has been followed by more success in the dugout.

With Tottenham and Real level on points they battle it out at the top of Group H, seeking progression to the knockout phase.

Pochettino, hugely influenced by Marcelo Bielsa, his coach at Newell’s Old Boys, Pochettino applied those lessons to seize his chance when Espanyol came calling in 2009.

Obsessive about every detail, Pochettino even chooses the exact laundry detergent used to wash the first-team kit, while he bombards players with motivational text messages day and night. “To me, if a player doesn’t work hard for the team, he won’t play. Nothing happens by chance,” he said.

Pochettino remains without a trophy in his managerial career, while Zidane appeared to have been parachuted into the dream scenario when he was appointed Real boss in January 2016.

Zidane’s only prior experience had been as assistant to former Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, before a brief spell as the club’s reserve coach. Yet Zidane has had the Midas touch, leading Real to seven trophies, including Champions League crowns in 2016 and 2017 and the La Liga title last season.

“I don’t think I’m the best in the world. I’m lucky to be at the best club in the world with the best players,” he said.