Mauricio Pochettino celebrates during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Pochettino living the dream at Spurs team punching above its weight
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino says that he is living the dream at the London club as they prepare for a Champions League blockbuster against Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Mauricio Pochettino celebrates during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Mauricio Pochettino says that his Tottenham Hotspur team has exceeded all expectations with their achievements in the Premiership and Champions League.
Spurs have all but sealed their place in next season’s Champions League, despite a falling away of league form, and could yet make it into this season’s final something Pochettino said would have been thought a dream when he took over at the club in 2014.
“We are living a dream. Five years ago when we arrived it was to reduce the gap to the top four, and then to have the possibility to play in the Champions League,” Pochettino said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“I think nobody would believe we would be playing in the Champions League three seasons in a row and competing at this stage.”
Spurs are fourth in the Premier League heading into the final weekend with only Arsenal able to haul them in but their London rivals have an inferior goal difference and need a miracle to get back into Europe’s elite.
“You wouldn’t believe at the start of the season that Tottenham would be in the last week of the season with the possibility of being in the final of the Champions League and to be in the top four,” admitted Pochettino
“I think nobody would believe we would be playing in the Champions League three seasons in a row and competing at this stage.”
Spurs are in Amsterdam for their semi-final return on Wednesday looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit after last week’s first leg in London, a side missing Harry Kane through injury and Heung-Min Son through suspension could not recover from Donny van de Beek’s goal in the opening exchanges. Spurs need to win the match, though a 1-0 win for the London club will trigger extra time.
A 2-2 away draw to PSV Eindhoven when they last visited to the Netherlands in October left Tottenham with just one point from three group games and staring at an early exit from the competition but they dug deep and progressed from the group stage. Spurs will need more of that spirit against a very good Ajax team.
