Mauricio Pochettino insists that his previous Champions League exploits against Manchester City will count for nothing when he faces Pep Guardiola’s side in the semi-finals as Paris Saint-Germain boss.
It is two years since a Tottenham team managed by the Argentine bested City on away goals after a thrilling second leg at the Etihad Stadium to reach the last four of Europe’s elite club competition.
While Spurs were subsequently beaten by Premier League rivals Liverpool in a low-key showpiece in Madrid, that dramatic quarter-final triumph - plus the equally action-packed semi-final defeat of Ajax - will certainly live long in the memory of every supporter.
However, Pochettino insists he can deploy no lessons from that tie as his PSG side prepare to lock horns with City - who beat Tottenham in Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final at Wembley - in this season’s semi-finals, beginning with the first leg in Paris on Wednesday night.
"There's nothing you can take from two years ago,” he insisted at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.
“It was a completely different game, approach, teams. City today are different and I am in PSG, a completely different team to Spurs."
Pochettino also dismissed any notion that the upcoming semi-final clash was a personal duel between himself and Guardiola, whom he labelled as arguably the best manager on the planet.
"It is one team playing another, not a personal battle. It is going to be a battle between two very good teams,” he said.
"When you talk about Pep Guardiola you are talking one of best coaches in the world, if not the best. I admire him a lot and not only because of the titles he has won."
