Tottenham progress rests on solving Wembley jitters
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[October 19, 2016]
LONDON (Reuters) - Tottenham
Hotspur's progress into the last 16 of the Champions League is in
their own hands but they must solve their Wembley jitters, according
to manager Mauricio Pochettino, whose side drew 0-0 in Leverkusen on
Tuesday.
Several tremendous saves by keeper Hugo Lloris earned Tottenham the
draw in Germany that left them second in a tight Group E on four
points and they have two of their remaining three matches at home at
their adopted Wembley Stadium.
While home ties with third-placed Leverkusen in two weeks and
against CSKA Moscow in December look enticing, Tottenham can ill
afford a repeat of the home sickness they suffered when losing to
Monaco in their opening fixture.
"It's in our hands now at Wembley. We need to turn around the
feeling of that first game against Monaco, to feel that it's our
home and try to show that we deserve to win," Pochettino told the
club's website.
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"It's tough to recover the points after losing the first game at
home but the good win at CSKA and now this draw means it's all open
and in our hands to try to go through."
Tottenham have elected to use Wembley rather than their White Hart
Lane ground for Champions League home ties this season because of
building work cutting capacity.
While the larger stadium guarantees crowds of roughly 80,000, the
key will be on the pitch where Spurs must replicate the
high-pressing game that has made them such a tough proposition at
White Hart Lane.
Wembley's bigger pitch dimensions clearly upset their rhythm in the
2-1 home defeat by Monaco -- their only loss this season -- and some
have suggested the move to cash-in on Champions League football with
bigger attendances could yet backfire.
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Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino Reuters / Wolfgang Rattay
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Former Tottenham midfielder Steve Sidwell says the unfamiliarity of
Wembley could have a similar effect to when Arsenal struggled while
playing Champions League games there in the late 1990s -- winning
only two of six 'home' games.
"I remember as a trainee at Arsenal there was a real negative vibe
about it from the first team and I think that it could hinder
Tottenham's progress," Sidwell told Sky Sports.
"No player likes to break the routine. When you go to Wembley the
opposition raise their game and it doesn't have the same atmosphere,
the same buzz."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by John O'Brien)
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