WE MUST HALT THE WEMBLEY HOODOO
Pochettino says Spurs should learn to love their new stadium
Growing up on his farm in Argentina, Mauricio Pochettino would marvel at the grainy photographs in text books and footage from the distant footballing Mecca they called wembley.
There was Antonio rattin, he recalled, sent off in a world Cup quarter-final when Alf ramsey branded England’s opponents ‘animals’ and banned his players from swapping shirts.
And an FA Cup final with osvaldo Ardiles and ricardo Villa, fellow Argentines who spin their yarns when they visit Tottenham, egged on by the manager, a captive audience.
‘wembley for me was like the moon, like another galaxy,’ said Pochettino. ‘it was a big wow for me. There was no internet, no Twitter, no instagram.
‘Sometimes you heard things on the radio or on TV. i saw the pictures of rattin, sitting on the red carpet, and when ossie and ricky are here, i love to listen.
‘when i was young, one of the best presents i was given by my parents was a set of Larousse encyclopaedias, books where you could find everything.’
when Pochettino fulfilled his dream, playing there for Argentina in a friendly against England, it only enhanced the magic.
‘it is the most exciting place to play football,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘it is where football was born and now there is a possibility to play there every two weeks, or maybe every week or sometimes three times in one week.
‘A problem? oh come on, i love wembley. wembley is not a problem. if we are not able to win there it is not because of wembley, it is because of us.’
And so Pochettino addressed the mental block as Tottenham prepare for their first game of the season at their adopted home.
Using wembley for European games last season, Spurs won one in four and that was a meaningless group game when already doomed in the Champions League.
when they returned for the FA Cup semi-final, they lost again, beaten by Chelsea, opponents tomorrow.
There is no logical reason why Spurs, having taken 53 points from a possible 57 at white Hart Lane last season, should fail on another rectangle of turf, 12 miles around the north Circular road. But it is nine years since they won a meaningful match at wembley and Pochettino knows the riddle must be cracked if he is to conjure another title challenge.
At least Chelsea, the Premier League champions, supply no end of motivation. This is a well-worn London rivalry with a fresh impetus since they beat Spurs to the title last season and derived such pleasure from ending Tottenham’s pursuit of Leicester, a year before.
And yet, for all the success at Stamford Bridge under roman Abramovich, there is a strange obsession about the way Spurs have developed young English players.
Chelsea tried to sign Kyle walker before he moved to Manchester City, are circling for Danny rose
and Antonio Conte claimed Harry Kane was the centre forward he most wanted to sign.
Conte also envies their different expectation levels and sought out Pochettino at a Premier League launch event last week, to explain comments made in pre-season.
‘My question is this,’ said the Chelsea manager, while on tour in Singapore. ‘What are Tottenham’s expectations? if they don’t win the title it’s not a tragedy. if they don’t arrive in the Champions League it’s not a tragedy.
‘Maybe for Chelsea it is a tragedy. They can breathe and think in a different way.’
There was no apology but Conte was keen to offer an explanation.
‘For me, it is not a big deal,’ shrugged Pochettino. ‘What he said did not upset me. i don’t believe he wanted to be disrespectful to Spurs or myself.’
Conte’s emotions were surely heightened, as they seem to have been ever since the title was won.
Summer recruitment has not gone to plan, Diego Costa is AWoL in Brazil and the champions started their defence by losing at home to Burnley, a game they finished with nine men.
Suspensions added to injuries, ongoing tension behind the scenes and a sense of looming crisis.
When Conte was asked if it might be a good time to face Tottenham, with the Wembley hoodoo on their minds, he chuckled, shook his head and said: ‘i don’t think it is a great time to play them.’
Maybe he can detect the presence of impending ‘tragedy’.
Tottenham are an emerging force, have won 13 of their last 14 Premier League games and this game, though so early in the campaign, can set the tone.
A victory for Spurs will inflict serious damage on Conte. A victory for Chelsea would erase Pochettino’s positive vibe and reinforce Wembley’s feeling of otherworldliness.