LET’S SMASH DOWN THE DOR
Poch urges Spurs to prove they’re ‘warriors and heroes’ by going all out for win in Germany
MAURICIO POCHETTINO has challenged his players to be “warriors and heroes” to complete Tottenham’s Champions League mission.
Spurs take a three-goal lead into the return leg at Borussia Dortmund tonight but Pochettino warned his stars against complacency.
The Argentinian said: “It’s going to be tough game – very difficult.
“This season no one believed in us but we have warriors and players who are heroes in the way they fight. We are only here because of that.
“Our mentality is a Champions League mentality. It’s a World Cup-winning mentality.
“We must forget the first leg, be focused and try to beat Dortmund again. That must be our approach. We must not think about the first leg. We need a very professional performance. We need to play like always we play – trying to win. That is so important.
“It’s important to be aggressive, to fight from the beginning. A high tempo is going to be the key.
“We know Borussia Dortmund are a great team and are top of the Bundesliga because they deserve to be there.
“They will start aggressively and try to push us deeper. We need to show aggression ourselves – we are ready.”
Tottenham are bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the first time under Pochettino but there are warnings from the past to show the job is not yet done.
In 2013, in the Europa League, they led Inter Milan 3-0 but were given an almighty scare by the Italians after blowing their first-leg lead and edged through on away goals.
Dortmund beat Tottenham 3-0 in the Westfalenstadion in 2016 while the current Bundesliga leaders also thrashed Atletico Madrid, one of the favourites for the tournament, 4-0 in the Champions League group stages earlier this season.
Pochettino refused to get too carried away with talk of winning the trophy and insisted the winners will need their share of luck between now and the final.
“Most important is tomorrow,” said
Pochettino. “In the Champions League or Europa League or domestic cups in England you need not only to win games, you need to be more than lucky to reach the final.
“The draw is important, many circumstances are involved. Sometimes you can win a final without being the best team.”
Tottenham defender Ben Davies played in the Dortmund defeat three years ago and also in last season’s last-16 exit to Juventus when Spurs seemed to be in control after the first leg only to blow it at Wembley.
Davies said: “It was a tough night (in 2016). I remember the stadium and the noise and the atmosphere and it was a special experience to play there. Obviously the result didn’t go our way and it was a hugely disappointing performance.
“But I feel we are much better prepared this time around and we are determined not to let that happen again. We can’t afford to be complacent, we have to go out there and play our normal game. We can’t afford to let anything get past us, especially in the first half.
“We have to make sure we put on a very professional performance. We can’t be complacent, we have to be switched on from the off.”
Spurs had only one point from their first three group games this season, losing to Inter and Barcelona before drawing 2-2 with PSV Eindhoven, and looked to be on their way out.
Davies added: “It would be unbelievable to reach the quarter-finals. Nobody thought we would get this far after our first three games in the group stage. It’s a massive opportunity for us now. If we can get it done who knows what can happen next?
“We’ll hopefully get this over the line and we’ll continue trying to put our best foot forward.”