Mauricio Pochettino feels there is a sense of destiny behind Tottenham’s progress into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Spurs' manager was filmed showing raw emotion in the dressing room after his side’s hugely dramatic win over Manchester City — achieved without injured star man Harry Kane — to reach a last-four showdown at the end of the month with Dutch outsiders Ajax.
Wednesday’s extraordinary 4-4 away-goals victory , after Raheem Sterling’s stoppage-time 'winner' for City was ruled out by VAR, was followed by understandably manic celebrations for Pochettino, his players and staff out on the pitch and then behind closed doors.
The 47-year-old former Argentina international can be seen making a “cojones” gesture and pounding delightedly with his hands on a tactics board.
Reflecting in the calm light of Thursday on a crazy night, Pochettino believes fate could yet make it Tottenham’s year in Europe — but also insists hard work is backing it up.
He said: “Back in November, this was not our destiny. At the beginning of the season, nobody believed destiny was going to reward us. Five years ago [when he joined the north Londoners], nobody believed we would be here.
“Of course, I believe - but you need to work, to have the option to be rewarded. There is an energy there that helps the people that work. You need to work to be rewarded.”
Pochettino also pointed to Tottenham’s decision to move into their brand new stadium this month, and not wait until the end of the season for the move and continue playing their games at Wembley, as evidence of the brave decisions the club have taken.
The former Southampton boss, whose side freakishly return to face City again in the Premier League on Saturday, said: “You need to look back and assess the key decision taken by our chairman Daniel Levy to move to the new stadium.
“Nobody agreed with us, because why not finish the season at Wembley rather than move to another stadium? But being positive is the most important thing in football. Life is about taking risks. You have a clear idea that it is going to be good for you. The decision we can now tell everyone was right, but at the moment we took the decision, people were critical of us.
“It is easy to give an opinion - but in the end you must believe in the decision. And we can feel proud about of players our fans, the staff at the club. Tottenham as a club is doing a fantastic job.
“We are in the situation that we are in today because we deserve to be there. No one gave us a present. We are here because we deserve to be here because we are working so hard.”
