Three things we learnt from Tottenham’s win over CSKA Moscow

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Team selection shows Poch’ holds Europa League and Wembley in high regard as Spurs prove point

Given how strong Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side was going into the game, you got the sense that the Argentine felt there was more at stake than just securing their Europa League place.

The side that started the game at Wembley was stronger than the team that Pochettino threw into the fray at the Stade Louis II during the 2-1 defeat to Monaco, when their Champions League hopes were still alive. Kyle Walker and Jan Vertonghen came in for Kieran Trippier and Kevin Wimmer, and the returning Toby Alderweireld featured as a second-half substitute. Christian Eriksen also started, to devastating effect for the visitors.

Pochettino and Spurs needed this victory. With the club set to play its Europa League home fixtures here and all of next season’s home matches, the club needed a lift to help make Wembley the ideal home from home. The defeats against Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen, which dealt a major blow to Spurs’ Champions League dreams, had sparked talk of a Wembley jinx, the last thing that the club needed before next season. After all, before Wednesday’s win they hadn’t won at Wembley since February 2008, when they came from behind thanks to goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Jonathan Woodgate to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the League Cup final. This was their first win at the national stadium in seven outings since.

It can’t be understated as to the importance that Spurs make a habit of winning at Wembley, but with Pochettino outlining the Europa League as potentially an easier route back to the Champions League than attempting to secure a top-four berth, he knew he could take no risks on Wednesday night, as shown in his comments from the post match press-conference:

“We showed we can win here and that was important for us.”

“We believe we can win the Europa League and go far in the Premier League. We are in a good position, similar to last season. We are actually two points better off in the league. We have recovered the feeling that we maybe lost in the last month-and-a-half.”

He went strong, he and his team reaped the rewards, and it shows a clear importance for the Argentine that Spurs excel in this latest European campaign, and can continue to excel at Wembley.