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Mauricio Pochettino Image Credit: Reuters

London: Mauricio Pochettino faces a defining moment as the Tottenham boss aims to join the managerial elite by masterminding a famous Champions League triumph against Juventus on Wednesday.

Long regarded as one of the sport’s brightest young managers, Pochettino can use this season’s Champions League to reach the rarified air inhabited by the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Diego Simeone.

Like his former Argentina teammate Simeone, Pochettino is coveted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

But while Simeone has defied the odds to lead Atletico Madrid to La Liga and Europa League titles, as well as reaching two Champions League finals, Pochettino is still waiting for his breakthrough moment.

Despite earning plaudits throughout his nine-year managerial career with Espanyol, Southampton and now Tottenham, the 46-year-old has failed to lead any of his clubs to a major trophy.

Clearly, silverware isn’t the only measure of a manager and no one would doubt Pochettino overachieved at Espanyol and Southampton given the lack of financial backing available.

Although Tottenham have greater resources than either of Pochettino’s other teams, they largely steer clear of the huge fees paid by their top four rivals in the Premier League.

Since arriving in north London 2014, Pochettino has deftly navigated those constraints to turn Tottenham into a genuine top four force after years of underachievement. But the crucial black mark on Pochettino’s CV remains his failure to push Tottenham across the finish line when they have been on the brink of landing a trophy.

Having reached the League Cup final in 2015, Pochettino’s side slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Chelsea, while in 2016 a late-season swoon allowed Leicester to coast to the Premier League title.

With Tottenham hoping to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2011, eliminating the Italian champions would be another step towards the top table for Pochettino. Spurs had to dig deep to return with a 2-2 draw in the first leg with Turin.

His appetite for success is driving him on and, after admitting he once thought of quitting management by the time he was 50, the Argentine now plans a long career on the bench.

“When I started as a manager I was 36, I said, ‘Okay, I will be a manager and my limit is 50’,” Pochettino said.

“Now, I don’t know if I will be longer like Roy [Hodgson] or [Sir Alex] Ferguson or Wenger or maybe I will stop before.

“When I watch football and the manager always criticises everyone and sees the phantom and tries to defend himself and fight with you and fight with the fans and fight with this. That is no life.

“I want to improve and try to enjoy doing my job but if I am going to suffer or create drama in my life, I would prefer to go away.

“Football is a joy. The most quiet I am is when we are going to compete. It’s not a drama. For other people it’s different but for me football is not a drama — it is a joy.”

Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele is pleased to be earning praise from his manager but the Belgian says he wants to finish the season on a high and collect silverware.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino hailed Dembele a “genius” and compared his ability with the likes of Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho after his dominant performance secured a 2-2 draw at Juventus in the Champions League last 16 tie.

“He [Pochettino] speaks a lot with me and gives me confidence. He’s mentioned these kinds of things to me in the past,” Dembele told British media.

“Obviously he’s been giving me confidence and it’s a good thing, but you always want to win something, so it doesn’t change my role.

“It’s a good feeling. Everybody likes to be appreciated. It’s a good feeling, but there’s so much to play for still.” Dembele appeared to be limping after being substituted in their 2-0 league victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday but said he was fine.