Tottenham Hotspur showcased a mettle to their mentality on Wednesday night which has eluded them in plenty of past Champions League encounters, including fixtures played this season, and their fighting spirit enabled them to clinch a hard-fought 1-0 win over Inter Milan at Wembley Stadium.
Mauricio Pochettino raised plenty of eyebrows in the pre-match buildup when he opted to leave both Christian Eriksen and Heung-min Son on the substitutes bench. The Argentine is certainly not afraid of leaving out his biggest players but, in a fixture of the magnitude which Inter Milan presented, supporters were well within their rights to question his decision.
By the end of the evening the Wembley crowd were salivating over a tactical masterclass from Poch. Job well done.
Tottenham probed and pressed to no avail for long periods of the game, but the introduction of Son in the 62nd minute provided the burst of pace and dynamism which Spurs needed to unlock their opponents.
Son was not directly involved in the winning goal, but another substitute, Christian Eriksen, finished off a cutting edge move from Spurs, which started with a domineering slalom from Moussa Sissoko.
In the aftermath of proceedings, BT Sport pundit, Jake Humphrey, asked Paul Ince and Jermaine Jenas if they believe Son and Eriksen will both making the starting line up for the north London derby in light of their performances, and Jenas claimed that the influential pair will both be selected from the outset.
“100 percent, in fairness to the manager Son hasn’t actually been in great form this season having come back from the competition with the national side.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that himself and Christian will be starting in the north London derby.”
Based on how devastating the pair were against Chelsea and then in their cameo roles against Inter Milan, Pochettino would be hard pressed to find a legitimate reason to leave them on the sideline.
The north London derby is a vital fixture for Spurs not only in terms of local bragging rights but also in the context of their effort to keep in touch with the Premier League pace setters.
On his day Son can be one of the most pulsating attacking players in Europe, while Eriksen possesses the ethereal ability to produce something out of nothing.
Over to you Pochettino.
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