Mauricio Pochettino described the first-leg of Tottenham’s Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City as the biggest game of his career. The players matched their manager’s statement with one of their finest performances of the Argentine’s reign.
And what Spurs need in Manchester tonight is a culmination of his development.
Pochettino has spent the last year, since being dumped out of last season’s Champions League by Juventus in a masterful display of tactics and trickery, adding a sprinkling of the dark arts to his Tottenham side.
He paraded Daniel Levy at Westfalenstadion before the last 16 second-leg against Borussia Dortmund, just as Juventus had done with Andrea Agnelli and Pavel Nedved at Wembley a year before. Such a showing would not intimidate anyone in Manchester, given that on Tottenham’s last visit they left tails firmly between legs having shipped four goals as City romped to a 16th straight Premier League win.
But this is a different City. A City with something to prove in Europe and beginning to bear the scars of a ferocious Premier League title race. A City who will, at some point, have to go for Tottenham if they are to make it through to the final four.
Last season, Tottenham were drawn in by Pep Guardiola’s unrelenting play. They were pulled all over the place as City strolled to victory in a second half which could easily have seen both Harry Kane and Dele Alli sent off as their frustrations boiled over.
Last week the visitors operated with a more physical game plan to rile their hosts, and Kane reacted to it. After a first half in which he had been barged and wrestled off the ball when challenging Fabian Delph before limping off injured, season feared over.
But there is no room for score settling at The Etihad. In Fernandinho, Guardiola not only possesses the finest defensive midfielder in the Premier League but also the greatest master of the dark arts; a sly elbow and shove to the back of Kane’s head going unpunished last week the shining example.
If Tottenham are to progress, and mark the biggest step take in Pochettino’s near five years in charge, they must display exemplary patience, check their temper and execute the game plan to a tee.
Kane’s absence, though, will not be so keenly felt if, just as he did earlier in the season and in the first-leg, Heung-min Son matches the task of filling the England captain’s boots.
Furthermore, without Kane, Tottenham become a far trickier attacking prospect to predict. During their 3-0 home victory over Borussia Dortmund in the last round, one which the No10 missed through that previous injury, Pochettino opted to play Lucas Moura, who scored his first hat-trick in European football against Huddersfield on Saturday, alongside Son to devastating effect.
Dele Alli is also a slight doubt due to a broken hand sustained at the new stadium last week, his availability will go a long way to shaping Pochettino’s side.
"I don't think we can concentrate on who is playing and who is not," Man City's John Stones said.
"We had our game plan for the last game and stuck to it, we've looked back and found positives and to say that Harry and Dele might not be playing, we can't concentrate on that.
"What we have done best is focus on us and make sure we are playing the right way."
Regardless of their intention, Guardiola’s comment describing Tottenham as “the Harry Kane team” last season ruffled feathers, this is a real chance to prove Spurs are far more than their talisman. They have done it before in the League, but this would mark a significant moment.
If they are to achieve it, maturity is the order of the day. Don’t be drawn in if City once more adopt the peculiar physical approach from the first-leg. Don’t be sucked in by the traps as they were last season and, most of all, show the composure, European know-how and resolve picked up from past painful experiences.
Neither City nor Tottenham have storied Champions League histories, Spurs have the chance to show the lesson learned from dustings with Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona while adding a sizeable chapter.
