Pochettino praises Spurs resolve in '38 away games'

LONDON - Tottenham Hotspur's success in claiming a top-four Premier League finish on Wednesday to guarantee Champions League soccer next season is a "massive achievement", according to manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Spurs will have played "38 away games" by the end of the campaign, the Argentine said after a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at their temporary Wembley Stadium home, which has been used while a new White Hart Lane ground is built.

"It was a real quality season for the group to achieve the top four - a massive achievement," Pochettino said after England striker Harry Kane's second-half goal secured the three points that took Spurs up to third place, ahead of fourth-place Liverpool and fifth-place Chelsea.

The win also means Tottenham, which has again missed out on a trophy, will finish the season as the top London club for the first time since the 1994-95 campaign, a statistic Pochettino was happy to highlight at the post-match media conference.

Critics will argue that winning silverware is what the game is all about, but Tottenham is making progress under Pochettino and finishing above Chelsea and Arsenal is no mean feat given Spurs' tight salary structure.

Next season Spurs will again cross swords with the elite of European soccer, having been unfortunate to exit the Champions League in the last 16 to Juventus following a highly encouraging group campaign during which they beat Real Madrid at Wembley and pipped the Spanish giant to top spot.

The importance of the Champions League and the money it brings cannot be overstated, given the rising cost of their 62,000-seat stadium which could reportedly rise to as much as $1.35 billion.

Financing the stadium and developing a team that can compete for major honors is a tricky balancing act - Spurs' north London rival Arsenal is a prime example of a club that has struggled in that regard.

"For the club it's a massive thing to move into the new stadium and play in the Champions League," said Pochettino, who has yet to win a trophy in his four years at Tottenham.

"It will be another massive challenge (at the new stadium) - the same as playing at Wembley. But this group of players now have the experience to make the new stadium feel like home.

"Thirty eight games away for home. Maybe people didn't realize it was so tough for the players and for the staff and for the fans to move from White Hart Lane to Wembley.

"To achieve the top four in that condition, despite many things that happened during the season ... if you're not strong - mentally and physically - and you don't show passion, it's difficult to achieve what we have achieved today.

"It's truly remarkable."

Reuters