Share

Pochettino wants Wembley fortress

London - Mauricio Pochettino says the motivation of playing at Wembley could help his Tottenham side turn the national stadium into a UEFA Champions League fortress.

Spurs will play the remainder of their Champions League campaign at the iconic London stadium during the reconstruction of White Hart Lane.

Their Argentine boss claims his squad have a responsibility to play attractive winning football for the home support in order to create the atmosphere worthy of playing in front of 90 000 fans.

"It's true that it's a big motivation for the opponent when they come to England and they play at Wembley," he told reporters ahead of Wednesday's clash with Bayer Leverkusen. "It was for me.

"To come here to England and play at Wembley against England, it was a fantastic experience.

"But it must be for us, not only a motivation, but it must inspire us, because 90 000 people being behind us must be a big problem for our opponent. And it's in our mind to create that energy.

"It's our responsibility to create the atmosphere, that says 'okay, it's an exciting thing to come here and play at Wembley but it will be tougher for you too to play against Tottenham, because you play against 90 000 supporters that are very excited and bring all of their energy to us'.

"That is our responsibility, to create that atmosphere."

The Lillywhites are in second place in Group E, with four points from three games leaving them just a point behind group leaders AS Moncao.

Spurs will line-up against a Leverkusen team including an inform Javier Hernandez, who will be looking to remind English fans of his goal scoring abilities after leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid.

Wembley is commonly seen in footballing circles as a bogey ground for home teams as the pitch is big and slow with opposition teams often raising their game at the iconic ground.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2250 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE