Pochettino is looking for heroes
MAURICIO POCHETTINO will send his young Tottenham players out at Wembley tonight telling them they can be heroes.
The valiant way they fought back from two goals down inside nine minutes of the first leg against Juventus last month to earn a 2-2 draw in Turin means a win or a low-scoring draw tonight will be enough to put Spurs through to the last eight of the Champions League.
It would be a remarkable achievement given the defending Italian champions were in two of the past three finals, but it is on nights such as these that Pochettino believes the side he inherited in 2014 can set themselves apart as one of the truly great sides in the club’s history.
“After four years, the next step is to try to be consistently in the top four and, if we can, fight with these big sides and show we are on another level, by trying to be competitive with different tools,” he said.
“Trying to win one title would be fantastic for everyone and mean a lot because if we can win some trophies along the way it will be complete. “The players would be heroes because they will have competed with these big sides and it is difficult to beat them. But we are a brave team, very positive people that love the challenge, and this is a massive challenge.
“We are going to compete, and at the same time try to enjoy, because it’s a game to enjoy. That’s fantastic. We need to think we can win.”
Tottenham have reserved their best Wembley performances this season for the Champions League, beating APOEL Nicosia, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the group stages.
Pochettino joked that the Champions League theme tune is his favourite thing about the competition, but who is to say it will not inspire him to go all the way?
“We can’t set a limit – I am a dreamer,” said Pochettino. “You need to try to win and go as far as possible. I am living today and trying to do my best and achieve what we want this season. But I don’t set some minimums.
“We have a very good opportunity but in football you need to earn things. We are going to face one of the best teams in the world and in history. We must not think too much about the consequences of the result. We need to feel free. At the end of the season we will see and assess.
“The confidence and the maturity is there and we are in good form. We are going to try to achieve big things if we follow this same way.”
Toby Alderweireld is still not fit and keeper Hugo Lloris admits the club cannot rely simply on keeping a clean sheet to see them through.
“If we start to think too much about playing for a draw, especially against an experienced team like Juve, you can be in trouble,” said the Spurs captain.
“We are in the most important part of the season – we can win or lose everything we have worked for since the beginning of the season.
“We must enjoy the competition. We are in a good shape – strong mentally and physically – but we need to show it every time we have the opportunity.”
That said, Gonzalo Higuain, Juve’s two-goal tormentor from the first leg, is struggling to be fit, although Paulo Dybala is available again having missed the first leg.
The visitors’ veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who rubbished suggestions this could be his last Champions League game, said: “Harry Kane is among the top strikers in the world and Spurs have a lot of great attributes and a triedand-trusted style of play. They like to go forward and they like to be physical.
“By the same token, they sometimes allow the opposition a few chances.
“There’s a certain amount of pessimism when something happens to Juventus. People begin to fear the worst.
“But when Juventus are a little bit wounded, that spurs us on. My best games are the ones I’ve gone into feeling a bit of anger and wanting to get things done.”
Wembley will observe a minute’s silence in memory of Davide Astori, the Fiorentina captain who died on
Sunday aged 31.