Tottenham’s Davinson Sanchez puts Liverpool on notice

Davinson Sánchez, who is on course to be fit for Saturday’s final, has put Liverpool on notice, saying Tottenham will batter and bruise, doing whatever is necessary to win football’s ultimate club prize.

Usually football matches at the top level, like the Champions League final, are decided by the finest of margins, a moment of magic or simply having more fight and desire than your opponent.

Sánchez says this final will invariably include his side employing a strategy of no-nonsense football, particularly to combat Liverpool’s potent offensive threat. It might be the best, or only, way to disrupt Liverpool’s flow.

When there’s little to choose between two sides, desire, passion and commitment to the cause are intangibles that often prove decisive.

Although we all know Tottenham’s players will put everything on the line to reach their collective goal, sometimes it’s nice to hear it.

Of course comments like Sanchez’s can also have a detrimental effect, sometimes backfiring by galvanizing the opposing side.

Let sleeping dogs lie is an adage often used in sports.

In this instance, however, Sánchez’s comments are empowering, uplifting. Not at all disrespectful, Sanchez is merely reinforcing what Liverpool already knows: that June 1 will resemble a war more than a football match.

Here’s what the Colombian centre back had to say about the final:

"“Sometimes just playing football is not enough,” he said. “You have to do more. You have to run more. You have to ‘crash’ more. To – I don’t know – cry more.“We have to show everyone the right mentality,” he added. “If we can’t play our football, we have to have another way to do it.“You can’t be worried about what people say. If you have to crash, you have to crash. You don’t care. You have to tackle. Football is not composed of just taking the ball, or clearing the ball, properly, without touching the opponent?“No. If you clear the ball and the opponent is in the middle of it… I feel sorry for the opponent!“Whoever is on the pitch has to do it. It’s a final. A final is about winning. You can’t wait for the opponent to be better than you, or let them start to play their football.“We are going to start aggressively. A final is about this. Everyone wants to win the trophy.”"

Unlike previous finals where delicate football, intricate passing and elaborate embellishment are on display, Saturday’s match in Madrid will be a dogged, rough-and-tumble affair between two English sides, exactly what you’d expect on any given Saturday in the Premier League.

Sure, there is bundles of world-class skill to feast your eyes on, but this match will be decided in the trenches, with the winner ultimately dictating play from a robust, physical standpoint.

The team who sacrifices the most, in conjunction with a single magic of moment, could mean the difference between Champions League glory and despair.

Knowing how many warriors Mauricio Pochettino has at his disposal bodes well for Spurs, who will need every ounce of combative will to overcome a side desperate to avoid consecutive Champions League final defeats.