Tottenham prepare to bring the curtain down on White Hart Lane with the most emotional north London derby

Mauricio Pochettino has delivered a series of powerful atmospheres and performances at the Lane and will hope Tottenham's fine run continues against Arsenal on Sunday

Pochettino will be the last ever Spurs manager to lead his team out at the Lane Getty

Only now do Tottenham Hotspur have a confirmed date for their last ever game at White Hart Lane, against Manchester United on 14 May. But as Mauricio Pochettino pointed out at the his press conference on Friday afternoon, almost every game there this year has felt like the emotional farewell.
Spurs fans and players alike have been swept along in the emotional momentum this season, with remarkable results. They have won 15 straight there, playing the best football of the whole lifetimes of many Spurs fans.
Even when there was still a possibility that Spurs would stay at White Hart Lane next season, moving to Wembley the following year, that was never reflected in the powerful atmospheres and performances at the Lane.

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When Spurs host Arsenal in Sunday’s penultimate game at the ground, it will be one of the most emotionally powerful afternoons in its history. Or at least until United come in two weeks time. But as Pochettino spelled out, somehow every home game in the last few months has felt like that.
“I think I have told you,” Pochettino said on Friday, “we feel every time that we play, it is the last game. Our fans are so excited, and our players too. I think that feeling, that energy, that our fans translate to the team, is amazing. And it is key, to push you and help you to give your best.”

That has certainly been the case in the last few months. Spurs are hitting a level almost every week at home that few fans have seen before. Pochettino thanked the fans and while that is often a banal platitude for managers, in this case it counts.
The crowd have made a difference for Spurs this year. It was only a few years ago, remember, that Emmanuel Adebayor said he would rather Spurs would play all their games away from home, because the home crowd got on the players’ backs.
But Pochettino expects the fans to play a positive part on Sunday. “Sure, like [the part] they are playing in this season,” he said. “They were fantastic and they helped a lot the team. I think all that we are achieving there at White Hart Lane, is a big percentage [because] of our fans too.”