Messi alert
Spurs face Barcelona maestro in Nou Camp as Champions League hopes hang by thread
Mauricio Pochettino has warned his Tottenham Hotspur players there is no such thing as a weakened Barcelona team as they bid to complete their Champions League comeback in the Nou Camp.
A victory over the Spanish giants tonight would secure qualification to the knockout stages. Any other result would leave Spurs sweating on the outcome of Inter Milan’s group game with PSV Eindhoven.
Tottenham must match or better Inter’s result and Pochettino has said he will be kept up to date with what is happening in Milan.
Barcelona have secured top spot in Group B, prompting manager Ernesto Valverde to confirm he will make changes, with Luis Suarez one of those who will be rested.
Valverde would not say whether Lionel Messi would start, but Pochettino said: “We play against Barca. I’m not focused on the starting XI. Always, the pressure is to win. You play not only to win the game here, you play for something special.
“You know the quality in the squad is massive. Different names may have different qualities, but they are going to be strong. It’s not my business [who starts for Barcelona]. It’s Valverde who decides what’s best for the team. It should be the best motivation.”
Defeats against Inter and Barcelona, together with a draw in Eindhoven, had left Tottenham on the brink of early elimination. But home victories against the Dutch and the Italians meant Pochettino’s team have taken their Champions League fate to the final group game.
Of potentially relying on Inter’s result, Pochettino said: “Of course, it’s normal we will know what is going on there.
“I’m not going to say only focus, then at end of game find out. It is important to know. But more important is for us to do our job here in the Camp Nou.”
Pochettino revealed 21-year-old right-back Kyle Walker-peters would start, despite the fact he has made only two appearances this season, because Serge Aurier and Kieran Trippier are both out with groin injuries.
The former Espanyol manager added: “We are going to be ready to compete in our best condition. I’m so optimistic, I always believe we will arrive at our best.
“We need to think like this. It’s so important, a must-win game, and you need to give your best and prepare physically and tactically.
“We know they have an unbelievable squad. All the players are at Barcelona because they deserve to be.
“It is difficult to fight for a place with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Whoever plays will be very motivated to show they can compete for more minutes. I expect a strong and motivated Barca.”
Asked who would start at rightback, Pochettino said: “It’s Kyle Walker-peters, he has the opportunity. I want to remind you he won the Under-20 World Cup in Korea and his quality is unbelievable. You need to trust young players and one day start to play them.
“To play in Camp Nou will make him strong; stronger than before. We don’t have doubts about Kyle’s performance. I’m so happy to have three very good players in that position. I think the three have different qualities.
“Kyle needs to feel free. He’s a relaxed player and person. Most important, we trust in him whatever happens.
“He will be a success for sure in the long term for this club.”
Pochettino, who has regularly been linked with the Real Madrid job, took the opportunity to remind the Spanish media that Tottenham had not signed or sold a single player during the summer and yet have made their best start to a Premier League season.
“Sometimes in football it is inexplicable,” said Pochettino. “This could be a case of that. We are the only team in Europe that has not signed anybody. But we have not sold any and we have improved. These are statistics. We can say it’s an odd case.
“I’ve been saying this for five years. We give the players a platform that helps them grow and be better.
“How do you stop Messi, for example? You stop him through a collective game.
“How do you maintain a level through a season marked by the World Cup, when we see the players a week before the league starts? If you don’t rotate players and offer the whole squad the opportunity to feel important, it is complicated.
“Tottenham’s platform reassures the players and helps them grow. So the mix means the performance is maintained, always knowing there are special players like Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane.”
Pochettino will need his special players at their best, even if some of Barcelona’s are watching from the stands.