Tottenham Hotspur fall victim to Juventus’ unshakeable self-belief as big-game experience wins out
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Updated 07/03/2018 at 23:09 GMT
Tottenham were the better side for 160 minutes of an 180-minute Champions League tie against Juventus, but – as Paris Saint-Germain also found on Tuesday night – experience once again proved an invaluable asset at the very top level of European football.
Juventus players celebrate at the end of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus at Wembley Stadium on March 7, 2018 in London, United Kingdom
Image credit: Getty Images
We knew Spurs were weak in defence and fragile mentally – experience told.
Giorgio Chiellini’s brutal verdict of Juventus’ win at Wembley summed up the reason that the Italian champions progressed.
Not because Chiellini was right; but because he truly believed he was.
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Juventus celebrate the win over Tottenham Hotspur
Image credit: Getty Images
To succeed at the highest level of sport it is critical that you fundamentally believe you are better than your opponents, and Chiellini’s post-game remarks echoed statements made by manager Massimiliano Allegri prior to the game, who said after his team’s weekend win over Lazio: "Tottenham are different compared to Lazio, they don't defend as well.”
Never mind that Spurs have consistently been one of the most defensively sound teams in Europe under Mauricio Pochettino, while simultaneously developing an increasingly impressive mental attitude. Fact is less important than perception when it comes to psychology in top-level sport.
Juventus had total faith that their opponents were there for the taking and, regardless of the reality that this was a tie that Spurs largely dominated, that belief shone through in a defining and devastating three-minute spell that saw the otherwise largely anonymous strike pairing of Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala leave Spurs on the ropes.
But while Juventus produced quality when it really mattered, don’t be fooled – this was no rope-a-dope performance. Spurs had the measure of the Italian giants for the majority of both legs of this entertaining match-up, dominating in midfield and opening up the ageing defence time and again.
A magnanimous Mauricio Pochettino said he was “proud” of his players after the match before telling reporters that his Spurs side would “return stronger next year”. And in doing so highlighted the difference between Europe’s elite clubs and those who aim to challenge them.
That experience and belief in big game situations takes time to develop. For many of the current Juventus crop it has been forged in a run of six consecutive league titles and two Champions League final appearances in the last three years.
Such experience is yet to come for a still relatively young Spurs side. But whether Pochettino and his players will stay at the club long enough to gain it remains to be seen.
-- Tom Bennett
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