It certainly wasn’t easy, but Tottenham Hotspur did what they had to do, got some help and they’re now through to the UEFA Champions League round of 16. That now means all four English sides have progressed to the knockout round. (And with that, some extremely interesting and also very formidable match-ups for Spurs and Liverpool in the next round).
Early on in Spurs European campaign, it looked highly unlikely that they would ever reached this point, as they took just one point from their first three group stage matches.
However, the north London side rallied, and in achieving a draw against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, it was enough to go through due to Inter Milan’s failure to obtain more than just one point versus PSV Eindhoven tonight.
Pochettino said after the game that it was “a massive achievement,” but not the “mission impossible” that many made it out to be.
“I remember after Eindhoven nobody believe in us. They said it was mission impossible, but we’re here. We’re in the last 16 and it’s a massive achievement for the club.
“I didn’t say it, others did. I said all is possible in football if you have belief, faith and the quality.”
The Argentine also said that idea of playing UCL football in their new home stadium, which is supposed to open sometime in 2019, was a major motivating factor for his team. The new stadium at White Hart Lane, which has seen its opening delayed several times, is in theory supposed to be ready for the knockout round fixtures in March.
“I’m so happy for the fans that are here and for our fans around the world. It’s a massive boost for the club and to have the idea to play in the next stage next year in the new stadium is a massive motivation for us,” Pochettino continued.
“To see how the players celebrated inside with the staff, I think it was the first time in four-and-a-half years at the club that we feel something special, and the connection was amazing. Now we need to be clever in the way we manage that energy that we’ve created tonight.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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