‘They said it was mission impossible, but here we are, through to the last 16’
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino lauded his players for achieving “mission impossible” after a 1-1 draw at Barcelona proved enough to qualify for the Uefa Champions League last-16.
Despite earning just one point from their opening three group stage games, a 1-1 draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Tuesday was enough for Spurs to sneak into the knockout stages.
“I’m so happy, so proud, I remember that after PSV no one believed in us, it was mission impossible, but we are here, we’re in the next round,” Pochettino said.
“It’s a massive achievement for the club, we’re happy for the fans here and around the world, it’s a massive boost for the club and to be able to play in the knockout rounds next year in the new stadium is a massive motivation for us.”
Tottenham’s hopes of staying in Europe’s elite competition looked doomed when news filtered through of Mauro Icardi’s leveller for Inter.
Pochettino said he and his players were caught in two minds about whether to try to hold on for the draw or seek a winner in case Inter got another goal in their game.
“It was difficult to manage the last 10 minutes. The players knew the result [score] of Inter but it is difficult to translate what to do to the field,” he said.
“You have to score to win but if you concede and lose the game, maybe you talk in a different way afterwards.”
Pochettino also said reaching the last-16 from a group containing two giants of the competition was among his greatest achievements with Spurs since taking over the club in 2014.
“It was so difficult to manage everything inside but we made a fantastic effort. To see and celebrate with everyone after four years and a half was great, it was the first time I felt something really special,” he said.
“The connection is amazing but we need to be clever about how we manage that energy tonight.
“In football, everything is possible if you have the belief. I think it was fantastic.
“The group character after four and half a years was great and now it will have a different way in the changing rooms. Hope it can help for the rest of the season.
“We will enjoy it a little bit but we are preparing for another battle on Saturday.”
After the drama of Tuesday night, it’s back to the reality of Premier League and a match at home to Burnley. And it will be a test of Pochettino’s managerial skills to get his side refocused on maintaining their place in the top four.