SHOT ACROSS THE BERNABEU
Zidane: Pochettino has made Spurs into a team to be respected ...they will be a great test for Real Madrid
MAURICIO POCHETTINO has woken a sleeping giant and put Tottenham on the European map. That ’s t th h e v verdicterdi ct of French l egend Zinedine Zidane, full or praise for the job Pochettino has done during three years in charge at Tottenham. The Argentinian chief has led Spurs back into th e Champions League and built a team that could humble the mighty Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tonight. Tottenham boss Pochettino d e scri b ed pl ay in g i n the Bernabeu for the first time as like being “baptised” and he knows it will be a coming-ofage experience for some of his players. He is always colourful in his interviews these days, giving Pep Guardiola both barrels last week, talking about the club being a “sleeping giant” in the Spanish press, and even revealing that he’s a fan of TV fantasy drama Game Of Thrones. Playing the European champions in their own backyard is a chance for Pochettino to showcase his talent as a coach, talent that has already caught the eye of World Cup winner Zidane (left). Real Madrid boss Zidane, who is going for a third successive European Cup triumph, said: “Tottenham has always been a great club and the coach has done a great job. We have two games against Tottenham . The first is li ke th e group final because we have the same number of points. “It will be a good match. And a great test for us.” All of the buildup has been about Harry Kane – the in-form Spurs striker’s 15 goals in his last 11 games has confirmed his status as one of the best centreforwards in Europe. But while Manchester City boss Guardiola upset Pochettino by calling Spurs the “Harry Kane team”, Zidane showed a lot more respect and insisted his fellow Frenchman Hugo Lloris and Tott enham’s defence will make it a very tough game. Zidane said: “Tottenham is not just Kane. They are a good team and we will have to prepare well for this game. “Hugo Lloris will do his best to stop us. He is a goalkeeper who has improved a lot in England. “He was really good at Lyon but has progressed a lot. He will play a very important role. “I will see what we can do to create difficulty for Tottenham’s defenders. It’s not only a goalkeeper, it’s a whole team. It is a team that’s improving.” But Zidane also insisted that Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo – nominated for his third Ballon d’or – can help Real Madrid prove that La Liga is on a different level to the Premier League. ZZ said: “Everyone has his opinion but I love La Liga. In La Liga we play with the ball more. English football is different. It
is much more physical and, when a team is powerful, it has a chance to win a match. “We p l ay in the best championship, the Spanish League, and we play against an English team. It is a chance to show La Liga is better.” Real Madrid will be without former Tottenham star Gareth Bale, who has a damaged calf, and Zidane expressed doubt over whether the Welsh superstar will be back for the return game in London. But he under- lined the importance of another former Tottenham player, Luka Modric. Zidane added: “I can’t tell if Bale will be ready for the second match. I hope he will be with us soon. If he can play in London that will be great but I can’t take it for granted. “We have other players but Luka Modric is quality. “He is a very important player for us. “When he plays, he’s really good and when the others play they always do really well. We find the holes and find the solutions to win matches.”