Mauricio Pochettino: We belong among the best in Europe after victory against Real Madrid

The Argentine's side put in a thrilling display against the European champions, winning 3-1 at Wembley

Mauricio Pochettino with Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane after the final whistle at Wembley (Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino said that Tottenham were now ranked among the best clubs in Europe after their stunning win over Real Madrid. Real manager Zinedine Zidane, meanwhile, had no hesitation in stating that Tottenham were capable of winning the Champions League after his side succumbed to a comprehensive 3-1 defeat at Wembley.

For what was one of the biggest victories of his managerial career, Pochettino cut a surprisingly relaxed figure afterwards. “It’s important for everyone to feel very happy about that great victory,” he said. "But honestly, I also feel happy when we beat Liverpool or Bournemouth. Maybe it’s strange, but I’m thinking about Crystal Palace on Sunday.”

Yet Pochettino was also aware that this was a performance that will have made the continent sit up and take notice. “This sort of win brings with it certain consequences in terms of making us more visible,” he said. “It’s something everyone around Europe will have seen. You’ve seen today that Tottenham is a big team. We’re playing at Wembley in front of 80,000 people. We now belong not only among the best in England, but in Europe.

“What’s important for me is that we are in the next round. We’re starting to believe in our potential, our qualities. We’re able to compete with the biggest teams on a physical and mental level, and our goals are always to win the big competitions. Whether we get there this year or not, we’re certainly moving in the right direction.

“We need to understand that we are at a level where we are playing football against the best teams, and to get to the next level we have to start winning things. Right now, we’re very proud. But this means nothing if at the end of the season we haven’t won a trophy.”

Dele Alli, whose two goals proved decisive, echoed the bullish sentiment. “We don’t want to compete with these teams, we want to be winning,” he said. “We knew if we stuck to the game plan and stayed solid at the back, we would have a lot of chances. We spoke after the game at their place [a 1-1 draw] and couldn’t believe the space we had. The easy pass was sometimes too obvious at times.”

Zidane predictably refused to press the panic button despite a second consecutive defeat. “I’m not worried, and I never will be worried this season,” he said. “Ultimately we came up against a better team. In all aspects of play, they were superior. Any team can win the Champions League, and Tottenham are certainly one of them.”