Are Tottenham in the moo-d? Mauricio Pochettino says Champions League experience is like 'cows and trains'

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Standard Sport17 September 2018

First there was Eric Cantona with his extraordinary 'seagulls' press conference; now, there is Mauricio Pochettino with his cows and trains.

Tottenham open their 2018-19 Champions League account with a Group B clash against Inter Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday night, and Spurs have fond memories of the competition from last season.

Spurs secured top spot in Group H last year ahead of the likes of Real Madrid (eventual winners) and Borussia Dortmund, beating the Spanish giants 3-1 at Wembley while taking six points off of BVB.

However, Tottenham's European journey was short-lived as they immediately went out in the first knockout round, losing to Italian champions Juventus 4-3 on aggregate.

Juventus vs Tottenham: In Pictures

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Spurs face a similarly tough group this time around after being drawn against Inter, PSV Eindhoven and La Liga champions Barcelona, and need points on the board early on if they are going to reach the knockout stages once again.

However, Pochettino insisted Spurs are not among the Champions League favourites after last season's exit to Juventus, and he was cryptic when asked if he felt more confident after two years of experience in the competition.

"If you're not clever, experience on it's own is not going to help you in the future," he said.

"It's like a cow who sees every single day for 10 years the train crossing in front, and if you ask the cow when the train is coming he's not going to have the right answer."

Pochettino will hope that his Tottenham squad have the right answers as they face a young Inter side on Tuesday night.

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