Pochettino shows he’s joined elite

MAURICIO POCHETTINO claimed it would be like a baptism for his players. You do not come of age until you have played on football’s biggest stage, the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid can make or break the biggest reputations. But it did not feel so much a baptism for Pochettino (below) – rather an audition to see whether he has the makings of one of Europe’s very best coaches. And, sure enough, Pochettino was not intimidated in the least. In fact, he seemed inspired by the whole occasion. Pochettino was brave, bold and aggressive in his team selection and his players poured forward at every opportunity and played with no fear. Spurs emerged from the Bernabeu with great credit. They had to batten down the hatches at times, but refused to give up believing. That comes from the manager and that is what has marked down Pochettino as special because of the job he has done after three years at Tottenham. This was unthinkable when Pochettino arrived, now they are going toe-to-toe with the reigning European champions. But what has been really noticeable in the last few days has been Pochettino fluttering his eyelids at the Spanish media, seizing his moment in the spotlight. One day, if he adds trophies to his CV, it must be his dream to return here as boss. Incredibly, ex-espanyol boss Pochettino’s record against Real was abysmal before this as he had played them seven times, lost all seven and not even scored a goal. It’s a near impossible ask for Espanyol to beat Real. But now, Pochettino has the tools at his disposal – and he is showing he deserves his place among Europe’s elite.