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‘Spurs are still in a dream,’ says Mauricio Pochettino after triumph over City


The day after the night before, Mauricio Pochettino claimed his players were “still in a dream” and had yet to fully come to terms with their dramatic Champions League triumph over Manchester City. However the manager insisted Tottenham fully deserved their place in the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition for the first time in 57 years and that the achievement represents a “massive example” for everyone associated with the club.

Pochettino was a picture of high emotion at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, celebrating alongside his players in front of the away supporters after a game that is being talked of as among the most exciting in Champions League history. City won 4-3 as VAR played a crucial role in two goals – one awarded to Fernando Llorente on 73 minutes and one denied to Raheem Sterling in stoppage time. It would have been a tie-winning goal for Pep Guardiola’s side; instead an offside call meant Spurs progressed on away goals to face Ajax.

“It means a lot [to get to the semi-finals],” Pochettino said on Thursday, hours after he and the rest of Tottenham’s travelling party had returned from Manchester. “We still do not fully realise [what it means] because we are still in a dream, in a bubble. But of course we are so happy and it means a lot to our fans.

“We are all tired after an amazing and crazy and unbelievable night. We arrived [back] late, we didn’t sleep too much, but the happiness allows you to feel strong and with energy, and of course now we are thinking about the game on Saturday [against City in the Premier League]. We need to forget the Champions League now and be ready for Saturday because it’s going to be a battle.”

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Pochettino expressed the need for focus before Tottenham’s return to the Etihad Stadium. It will be third meeting with City in the space of 12 days and a crucial one in regards to their hopes of finishing in the top four. Yet ultimately it was impossible for him to escape talking about Wednesday’s events, and as he did so Pochettino made it clear the success was Spurs’ reward not only for their efforts on the night but also for the whole season, during which they have moved stadium and made no new signings.

“To be in the position we are now is because we had the belief, the faith and trust in our quality,” said Pochettino. “No one believed in November we would be in this position in April. But we had the belief and that is the most important thing.

“This is a massive example for us – how important it is never to give up, to always have the faith and believe in yourself, your teammates, the club, the fans. All our decisions we take are to help the club and this amazing history we are writing today will be a massive example for us in the future.”

Pochettino admitted to thinking “very bad things” before what would have been Sterling’s hat-trick goal was disallowed but he was ultimately able to celebrate and look ahead to a game against an Ajax side he described as “more favourites than us” given their victories over Real Madrid and Juventus. “It is so important to respect Ajax,” he said. “But it is a semi-final and the most important thing is how we approach the game and how we play the game. Hopefully all players arrive there fit to have different options there to decide a plan and strategy to play them. We are so optimistic.”

Tottenham trained on Thursday and will do so again on Friday before returning to Manchester for the first Premier League fixture of the weekend. Moussa Sissoko is unlikely to be fit having being forced off with a groin strain on Wednesday. Érik Lamela is also a serious doubt because of a hamstring injury, but Eric Dier could return after a hip complaint.



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