"Pochettino has highlighted in the past how White Hart Lane
is one of the smallest playing surfaces in the Premier League and there have been theories about how it can stifle Tottenham against opponents who sit deep and mass players behind the ball. The Wembley pitch is five metres longer and two metres wider, which may not sound like much but, when it is put another way, the difference is 545sq m – which does sound significant.
The bottom line is Pochettino inhabits a world in which the finest of margins can make the difference. And so, in the countdown to Tottenham’s big night, he has trained on two pitches that replicate the 105m x 69m dimensions of the national stadium. They have alternated between them, Pochettino said, in order to look after the grass.
“Wembley is a little bit bigger and this can help the teams that play along the grass and keep possession,” Pochettino said. “Teams that build from the back, like us, have more space, more possibility to play and it’s more difficult for the opponent to press you. We believe in the way we play and this is a good chance to play on a big pitch. We need to adapt our game.”
Pochettino said his squad’s routine would not change; they will arrive at the stadium three-and-a-half hours before the kick-off and there will be a “very nice room” for the team meeting. The traffic problems around the ground may not be as severe as those at White Hart Lane, he added with a smile.
The excitement is mounting. “We trained today with the Champions League balls and the bibs with the
Champions League on, and it’s difficult to describe the feeling,” Pochettino said.
The club is making every effort to smooth the transition; to create a home from home while White Hart Lane is deemed to fall foul of Uefa’s regulations because of building work.
The supporters have been urged to dress in all-white, while the Wembley arch will be lit in lily white and Tottenham Ladies players will hand out flags to youngsters in the upper tier. Happily for lovers of overblown pre-match montages, the montage from White Hart Lane will play on the giant screens. On a practical note, fans have been advised to get there early.
Nothing will truly prepare Pochettino and his players for the moment when they depart the dressing room to be assaulted by the colour and noise of what could be the largest home attendance in English club history. Tottenham anticipate around 85,000; the record is the 84,467 who watched Emirates Marketing Project’s FA Cup sixth-round tie against Stoke City at Maine Road in 1934.
“I can’t really imagine what will happen in the moment when we walk from the tunnel to the pitch,” Pochettino said. “It will be an emotional moment.”
