CHAMPIONS LEAGUE POCH: WE ARE LIVING THE DREAM
Spurs fulfilling a vision laid out by Levy in his pyjamas
Ahead of the biggest night of his coaching career, Mauricio Pochettino turned back time to the start of this Tottenham project and recalled an encounter with barefoot chairman daniel Levy.
‘Our first meeting was in his house,’ said Spurs boss Pochettino. ‘ he was without shoes and dressed in something like pyjamas — but it was in the afternoon, not the night. That’s the truth.
‘We were talking about a lot of ideas and about my first feelings for the Tottenham squad.
‘They showed me a squad of 34 or 35 players. I said, “Oh, so it’s an NFL team with 35 players in the squad, how are you going to handle that?”’
Beyond the humorous image of the shaven-headed and diminutive Levy, cross-legged and practising an ancient art of levitation as he interviewed his new coach, there is a serious point.
Pochettino likes to raise it when anyone dares to question the progress of his team or demands to see the trophies.
The challenge set by the levitating chairman was to take this overblown squad of players and shape them into Champions League contendersrs without a lavish spending spree.
The timescale was for this stage of development too coincide with thee new £ 1billion stadium, which opened earlier this month.
Pochettino is three years ahead of schedule.
This is his thirdd Champions Leagueue campaign and eachach has improved onn the previous one.
‘The principle objective was to help the club to build,’ said Pochettino. ‘To finish the training ground, to build the new stadium but while being competitive. That was most important.
‘The ambition was to try to be close to win because a project only to build facilities is not inside me. What I love is to play for the glory.
‘It was an ambitious project, trying in different ways to our opponents. I wanted to make sure we were safe on the financial side for the sake of the club. To achieve what we achieved over the last five years is the thing we feel most proud of.
‘We’ve been able to develop two different things in football that no other club found it possible to do — to provide the most unbelievable facilities and put the club on the sporting side in a very competitive place, reduce the gap to the top four and play every year in the Champions League.
‘Look how far ahead we are. That is why, after five years, we must congratulate everyone here.
‘Maybe we didn’t win a trophy. But what we are doing now is more than just a trophy. What we achieve as a club is massive.
‘Not in the history of football can anyone repeat the history Tottenham have made.’ Perhaps the trophy is close. PPerhaps this is the oone, the biggest one of all; a trophy whwhich even eluded BBill Nicholson in ddays when Tottenham tTottenham were the best team in the land. Farfetched? Spurs are one of four ppossible winners anand fate might be on their side. hahaving taken one point from the first three grgroup games, they teetered oon the brink of elimination at almost every turn but always survived, including the nerve-shredding final seconds of a quarter-final at Manchester City when VaR ruled out a goal by Sergio aguero.
‘The game against City was, for me, the most emotional in my career,’ said Brazilian forward Lucas Moura. ‘We were so strong. We played a big team, we showed good intensity and a good team spirit. We always believed.
‘When I was a child I dreamed to play in the Champions League and one day win it. here I am in a semifinal but it is not enough, it is not finished. I want to go to the final and win this competition.
‘You need to think to win trophies and make history. That’s why I’m here, to make history. I want more. I want to win trophies.’
ajax stand in the way, having knocked out Italian champions Juventus and Real Madrid, european champions in four of the last five years.
erik ten hag’s team have been showered with praise on the way to their first Champions League semi-final since 1997, playing in a style true to their attacking traditions, with a blend of steady experience and precocious youth.
at 21, midfielder Frenkie de Jong is destined for a £65million move to Barcelona this summer and centre half Matthijs de Ligt, 19, is also a target for europe’s richest clubs. as with Monaco two years ago, an exciting team will be dismantled as soon as it has emerged.
‘de Jong is a fantastic player,’ said Pochettino. ‘I understand why Barcelona pay this amount but it’s not only him.
‘To reach the semi-final means they have quality players. They were unbeaten in the group against tough teams like Bayern Munich and beat Real Madrid and Juventus. The results describe how good the team is. It is difficult to find a weakness.
‘They deserve a lot of credit. a bit like us, no one believed ajax could arrive in the semi-finals.’
This time, however, Tottenham, are the heavyweights. With their Premier League wealth, they have plundered ajax over the years for Jan Vertonghen, Christian eriksen and davinson Sanchez. They can at least afford to pay what it takes to keep harry Kane and dele alli and develop the project.
Injuries for Pochettino’s side and a weekend off for ajax may level the field but Spurs will never have a better opportunity to reach their first Champions League final.
‘It is going to be a magic night,’ said Pochettino. ‘ To play a semi-final in our new stadium is something nobody could think about a few months ago.
‘We feel a responsibility now we are here, but the excitement and motivation and happiness are bigger than any responsibility.’