LONDON • Tottenham's casualty list makes for grim reading.
Harry Kane, Erik Lamela and Harry Winks and Serge Aurier are all injured. There are doubts over Moussa Sissoko and Jan Vertonghen. And, crucially, Son Heung-min is suspended.
But, ahead of the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Ajax today, Mauricio Pochettino believes his injury-hit squad can "go to infinity and beyond".
Having upset the odds to end Manchester City's quest for an unprecedented quadruple, the Spurs manager insisted at his pre-match press conference yesterday that their strength as a collective can overcome Ajax's talented group of rising stars at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Argentinian, who has led the north London club to the last four of the Champions League for the first time, is relishing being among European football's elite after cracking rarefied territory.
He said: "To be in a Champions League semi-final is something I dreamed about. You need to settle your dreams.
"The chance to play a semi-final for Tottenham has not happened often (their last appearance at this stage was in the 1962 European Cup).
RARING TO GO
To be in a Champions League semi-final is something I dreamed about. You need to settle your dreams...
It is impossible to be tired, impossible to not be excited to play. I am sure there is no doubt we will have the energy for 90 minutes.
MAURICIO POCHETTINO, Tottenham manager, on preparing his side for their semi-final.
"We are in a circumstance that is not going to change and we must be ready.
"It is impossible to be tired, impossible to not be excited to play. I am sure there is no doubt we will have the energy for 90 minutes."
However, while Pochettino's stretched team were slipping to a sixth defeat in their last 10 Premier League games to West Ham on Saturday, surrendering their unbeaten record at their new ground, Ajax have had a full week to rest as the Dutch league calendar for the weekend was postponed to allow them extra time to prepare.
While Son's ban means Pochettino is robbed of another goal threat, already diminished through Kane's absence, he remains confident their teamwork can compensate for a perceived lack of firepower.
The 47-year-old said: "The point is that we arrive where we are now because we were a team and we are going to be a team.
"I don't care who is going to score. Always, it's an issue to not have all the players fit but, in front of any name, was the team, the collective."
Pochettino, though, will be keenly aware Ajax, who are also enjoying their own footballing renaissance with their first semi-final appearance in 22 years, "have no fear of anyone".
The Dutch outfit are gunning for the treble - last achieved by the 1972 Johan Cryuff-led team - they top the Eredivisie table on goal difference from PSV Eindhoven and play Willem II in next month's Dutch Cup final.
Yet the Champions League remains their main "objective" as Erik ten Hag's players want to write themselves into the club's folklore before the team get inevitably broken up in the summer.
Although Ajax's remarkable progression from the qualifying rounds has come at a price - Frenkie de Jong has agreed a summer blockbuster move to Barcelona - while captain Matthijs de Ligt, Hakim Ziyech and David Neres are set to follow him out of the exit door, Andre Onana feels lifting their fifth European Cup and their first since 1995 would be the perfect send-off.
The Cameroon international, himself a Barcelona target, told Agence France-Presse: "Not just for the goal in and of itself, but for us, because after this season, there will be a lot of players who will leave.
"It is important for us to do something big. If that means winning the treble, that will be simply beautiful."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
TOTTENHAM V AJAX
Singtel TV Ch110 & StarHub Ch214, tomorrow, 2.55am
Tottenham to play Juventus, Inter, United in 2019 International Champions Cup New, 15 comments Spurs will again play in the preseason tournament, but the matches will take place in Asia and London.
Man Utd to play Inter and Spurs to face Juve in International
LONDON (AFP) - Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as England started what they hope is a road back to Wembley for the Euro 2020 final with a comprehensive 5-0 win over the Czech Republic to open
Raheem Sterling hits hat-trick as England thrash Czech
PARIS • Paris Saint-Germain may have clinched their long-expected sixth Ligue 1 title in the past seven seasons, but that triumph cannot mask the French club's shortcomings on the European stage where results have failed to match their huge investments.
Title cannot soothe PSG's pain in Europe - theworldnews.net
The deadline for Cardiff City to pay the first instalment of the £15m transfer fee for Emiliano Sala has been extended until Wednesday, 27 February. The Bluebirds were due to make the first
Nantes complain to Fifa that Cardiff have not paid Emiliano
FC Porto converted a penalty kick awarded following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review three minutes from the end of extra time to beat AS Roma 3-1 on Wednesday. The win gave them a 4-3 aggregate victory to advance into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, after having lost 1-2 in the first leg.
Porto score VAR penalty in extra time to send Roma out of
Faithful fans rejoice as Hilltoppers break their 26-game losing streak with many waving red towels. Vette City Prospects.
Reds boss Klopp turns attention to Champions League
"The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight," a spokesman said. "Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football. "They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way.
Violent England fans an embarrassment to the team and not
Lionel Messi nets the 31st La Liga hat-trick of his career By Agency Report On Dec 17, 2018 Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick against Levante in a 5-0 win, and with Luis Suarez also on the score sheet, those two have now netted more goals between them this season than the entire Real Madrid team.
Champions League 2018: Messi Nets a Hat-Trick, Mbappe's Slip
MADRID: Jurgen Klopp revelled in the biggest night of his managerial career on Saturday (Jun 1) after winning Liverpool's sixth Champions League title, ending a run of six straight losses in finals.
Klopp hails 'best night' of his life after ending final hex
sportscompass.com.ng/2019/06/01/klopp-hails-best-night-of-his-life-after-ending-final-hex/
Jurgen Klopp has broken his cup final hex after winning the Champions League Jurgen Klopp has broken his cup final hex after winning the Champions League AFP. Jurgen Klopp revelled in the biggest night of his managerial career on Saturday after winning Liverpool's sixth Champions League title, ending a run of six straight losses in finals.
Klopp hails 'best night' of his life after ending final hex
Why women pick brains over brawn | Daily Mail Online
SINGAPORE - Singaporean Akbar Nawas has been named the I-League's best coach after leading Chennai City to their first title earlier this month.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Football: Singaporean coach Akbar Nawas is I-League's best
Griezmann on target again as Atletico edge closer to Barca
Serie A » News » Boateng set for shock Barcelona move - reports
Mesut Ozil made the most of being handed a rare start by Arsenal boss Unai Emery as the German masterminded a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday to keep the Gunners in pole position for a
Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past Bournemouth
One thing Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will never forget is his failure to win the UEFA Champions League last season despite the fact that it was caused by the goalkeeper Loris Kairus in the finals. The dreams of the Reds fans and players were killed by Loris Kairus who made costly mistakes that led to the 3-1 defeat against Spanish side Real
Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool: Boss agrees Reds deal and will
0 comments:
Post a Comment