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Tottenham face the biggest match of Mauricio Pochettino’s career

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 05: Tottenham Hotspur Manager Mauricio Pochettino during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus on August 5, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 05: Tottenham Hotspur Manager Mauricio Pochettino during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus on August 5, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images) /
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Mauricio Pochettino is in search of a signature Tottenham win

There’s no question that Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure at Tottenham has been an amazing success to date. Even so, the Argentine gaffer is still in search of a true watershed victory. Today’s match against Dortmund provides Pochettino with the biggest opportunity of his career.

Perhaps some of the lustre has come off the match due to the injury crisis for both teams. Tottenham head into the match missing five first team stars due to injury and suspension. Dortmund face an even more dire situation. The Bundesliga club will come into the clash missing seven players due to injury.

On the other hand, this is still a huge Champions League fixture. If Spurs do intend to make it out of the Group Stage this season they almost have to win this match against Dortmund. Failing to secure three crucial points at Wembley against the German club would squelch their chances to advance to the Knockout Round.

It’s highly unlikely that Tottenham will be able to top Real Madrid to win the group outright. As such, they’ll need to top Dortmund in order to advance. It’s hard to see that happening without a win today.

Add all of that up and it’s easy to see why it’s the most important match of Pochettino’s career. It’s not his first massive fixture at Tottenham. He’s faced tense North London Derbies and even an FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea already in his tenure. This is different though. This is European football.

For a club whose motto is “To Dare Is To Do” there’s no greater stage to strut their stuff. Spurs fans are desperate to see their club play their best football when the lights are at their brightest. It’s not something that has happened for Pochettino in the past. Specifically, the club struggled mightily during last season’s Champions League campaign.

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Last year was different though. Most Spurs fans were happy just being back in the Champions League. Progressing to the Knockout Round would have been nice, but most Spurs were just happy to be involved. The failure to advance makes this year’s mission much different.

Now Tottenham fans want to see progress. They trust Pochettino to deliver that to them today. If he does, it could catapult the club to heights that haven’t been experienced in years. His squad would earn such confidence that nothing would be impossible for the club moving forward. A signature Champions League win at Wembley could lay the groundwork for silverware for Spurs.

A loss, on the other hand, would utterly deflate the club. Say what you will about Dortmund’s obvious quality, but Tottenham have plenty of star quality as well. The game in Germany isn’t a must-win. The fixture on English soil is.

Next: Tottenham v Dortmund: Projected Spurs starting XI

Mauricio Pochettino won’t admit it, but it’s clearly his biggest fixture during his Tottenham tenure. By the time tomorrow ends, we’ll know a lot more about how far his project with the North London club is progressing.

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