SPURS DEFENDER TOBY Alderweireld has played in the Champions League final before and is determined to win against Liverpool this time after the disappointment of defeat in 2014.
The Belgium international was at Atletico Madrid at the time and came on in the last ten minutes to shut the game down for Diego Simeone’s men, who lead 1-0 at the time.
Sadly for Atleti, Real came back through a Sergio Ramos header before running out 4-1 winners after extra time.
He is hell bent on not feeling the grief he felt at that time and says his team mates are right alongside him.
“We were so close to winning it,” Alderweireld told reporters on Wednesday.
“Ramos scored in the 90th minute or something so, yeah, the feeling of losing, not winning it is very hard.
“It was [difficult to deal with] because I was 25 years old. It was a strange moment.
“Everyone is saying it is unbelievable about Spurs getting to the final but we’re not happy with playing a final – we want to win it.”
In order to win it, Tottenham must play at their best and their stopper says they’ve been training like animals to bring the trophy to north London.
“In the last couple of weeks we’ve been training like animals,” the 30-year-old continued.
We’re trying to give our best every day because that is the way we need to work to be in the right state for the final. Everybody wants to be there, to be involved and give their best, and the final is not going to start on Saturday – it started two weeks ago.”
Although this is Spurs first Champions League final, many of their players, including Alderweireld, played in the World Cup semi-finals last summer.
He believes this experience will stand them in good stead in Madrid on Saturday.
“I think we have quite a mature group so I don’t have to talk too much, but I think just to stay calm and do the normal things.
“A lot of players have played in really big games, World Cups and stuff like this, so we know what to do. Of course, the tension will get more as the week goes on but we have the maturity in our group and that is not a problem.”
Gavan Casey is joined by Murray Kinsella and Sean Farrell for a review of the 2018/19 season, and cast an eye forward to next year and the Rugby World Cup in Japan.:
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Interesting how everyone writing shamrocks off, all Ireland champs 2 years ago and beaten semi finalists last year. In the year they won it, beat na piarsaigh in the semi so I think they will fancy their chances. Saying that, would love to see na piarsaigh win it
Two very evenly matched semi finals. I’d love to see a Na Piarsaigh v MLR final. Think Na Piarsaigh will win it. Anyone but Portumna. A team who doesn’t have to qualify from its province doesn’t deserve an All Ireland title. Na Piarsaigh and MLR would be more than deserving of winning it considering who they had to beat to get to the semi.
Yeah they only have to qualify out of most competitive county in the country where many of the All Ireland Club Champions have come last 10 years.
Doesn’t matter who they have to beat in the Galway championship. I’m talking about Galway clubs in general.
The exact reason why Galway clubs have a good track record in it is because they walk in to the All Ireland semi finals every year.
Same as minors getting straight through to quarter finals and U21′s getting straight through to All Ireland semi. They all pick up some handy titles and then wonder why the Galway senior team is not successful.
Simple, they have less teams to beat to win All Irelands at every level except senior and they win them at all levels except senior!!!
Sour grapes mike. Portumna one of the best club sides of all time. Going by your logic no team from Galway should be allowed enter the competition.
When portumna were at their best , they would give any of the top team’s in the country a game.
I have nothing to be sour about. Portumna mean nothing to me. I see and hear Galway people moan about their senior team not being able to win anything but they rub their hands with glee when they walk in to the latter stages of most other competitions. It’s more than a coincidence that Galway can win titles at all levels except senior. They have too easy a route in all bar the senior. Galway won’t win a senior All Ireland until they wake up to that fact. They want the senior team in Leinster but are more than happy to have every other grade team and club not as they are winning things. Why don’t they look at the possibility of moving all teams in to Leinster so they can actually see what they are worth and not just be handed byes the whole time while every other team and club have to get through several matches to get to the same stage.
The Galway clubs have to beat provincial and county champs to win an All Ireland Mike, same goes for their minors and U21s, nothing handy about that.
You sound pretty sour to me.
Portumna will win it
Portumna won their titles Mike Neil because they were the best team, to say otherwise is just bloody sour grapes.Same goes for all the clubs who won the All Ireland.
I will be shouting for Portumna but think Na Piarsigh will win out, they have more scoring forwards than anyone else.
It’s not portumna’s fault they go straight into semis. It’s theirs to lose now, should be a handy all-ireland for them now. Although this is a year full of surprises.
Only a fool would write off the Rangers. Have seen off 2 favourites already and didn’t even play well against Outlart.
I know they will still be the underdogs, but they will wear that badge with pride!!!!
Loughgiel shamrocks be very hard to beat they R a good team winning 4 county titles and 4 ustler titles and all Ireland in the last 4 years what more can I say
think you’ll find Eamon that Loughgiel have as good a six forwards as any of the teams left.will take a damned good performance to beat them much better than anything I’ve witnessed on TG4 to date..
I disagree Denis.I have seen Shamrocks 3 times in the last 2 years , they are a fine side but they don’t have forwards of the calibre of Canning, Hayes, Dowling, Hannon or Downes.
Hannon plays for Adare not Na Piarsaigh.
Fair bad support for loughgeil. A club that has been there and done it plus has one of the best hurlers in the country. Would love to see them prove a lot of people wrong again. From a tipp man
As a Birr man, having seen how these All-Ireland’s are won, it’s about getting the most from your forwards. One of the reasons KK did well last year was Slevin the free taker. Similarly Loughgiel have a great full forward, whose name escapes me. Na Piarsaigh have serious forwards and of course Portumna have Joe Canning & Damien Hayes, plus their experience. It’s hard to see past Portumna. Fair play to MLR though – inspirational stuff!