Spurs motivated by Champions League challenge - Pochettino
REUTERS - Tottenham Hotspur are motivated by the desire to prove themselves against quality teams in the Champions League, manager Mauricio Pochettino said.
The Premier League club, who will play their Champions League home games at Wembley this season, have been drawn against CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, and Monaco in Group E.
"The Champions League is a big motivation for every player and, with respect to the Europa League, it is not the same. It is the top competition in the world and for that we are very motivated to play in it," Pochettino told British media.
"We are very excited because it will be my first opportunity to play Champions League football as a manager. This will be very exciting for me and for the players too."
Pochettino played down Erik Lamela show of skill during the club's win over Crystal Palace last weekend when the Argentine striker nutmegged former Spurs winger Andros Townsend.
"I understand Lamela's game – he is always trying things like this in training sessions. But for me, it is important to show respect to the opponent," Pochettino added.
"I don't like it when you try to humiliate your opponent. Lamela never tries to humiliate opponents – it's just the way he plays. But it is nothing to celebrate."
Tottenham, who started their league campaign with four points from their opening two games, host Liverpool on Saturday.
(Reporting by Ian Rodricks in Bengaluru,editing by Ed Osmond)