Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino spoke at a press conference ahead of his side’s Champions League quarter-final showdown with Manchester City. Here are the best bits.
Dele Alli’s injury
“We need to assess him. We are going to have the last training session and then we have to decide whether it is possible for him to play from the start or be on the bench.”
Can Son replace Kane?
“He’s doing a fantastic job this season. Since November I’ve been so happy with him. Before that he was involved in the Asia Cup and it was difficult for him.
“It’s not just about Son. Without Harry Kane, the players need to step up. With Harry Kane, Son was doing a fantastic job.
“Now I think we need, like always, a collective effort and to be strong and have the belief and the mentality to fight.”
Pep Guardiola’s record
“He is one of the most successful managers in the last 10 years, for sure. There is not another like him.
“For me, winning a title with Tottenham is a massive dream. To win 25 or 26 (trophies) is more than a dream for any coach or manager in the world.
“What he has done at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City is unbelievable. It shows his quality and how good he is.”
Facing City
“It’s going to be tough. Manchester City are the one of the best teams in the world and a clear favourite to win the Premier League and the Champions League.
“For us to beat them in the first leg was an amazing result but we know very well the tie is still open.
“But what we have is the faith and belief that we can be strong and we can fight. It’s going to be an amazing challenge – I am so excited and motivated.”
Ronaldinho tipping Spurs to win the Champions League
“He knows a lot about football and we need to respect him! He was a great team-mate when we played together at Paris St-Germain. Spending three years with him was a great experience for me.
“Why not? In football, anything can happen. Like in life, you need to have faith and believe and trust in yourself.
“It’s good that people like Ronaldinho believe in our quality and that we are good enough to win.
“It is good for our players to hear that because if Ronaldinho says that it can increase our belief.”
Spurs’ transfer budget
“When you are in the competition you can’t stop to think about your budget or whether you have money or not.
“We are going to compete with clubs that have a different plan from us. We are ambitious. We love to compete and we love to win.
“Maybe if you compare us with another team, maybe we are in a different financial position, but when you are going to play in this type of competition you must compete.
“I’m not going to complain. When you are in the competition, you are in the competition.
“With our new stadium we need to be real contenders fighting for the Premier League and the Champions League.”