When the home fans had dispersed and the dust had settled on Tottenham’s miraculous escape from Group B, Mauricio Pochettino emerged from the tunnel onto the pitch to lap up the applause of over 5,000 travelling fans still celebrating in the Nou Camp.
The Argentine’s has enjoyed a special relationship with the supporters for a long time, but particularly on nights like this when they are reminded how lucky they are to boast one of the best managers in Europe.
That reputation is swelling all the time and while he hasn’t always got it right this season, he was spot on with his decisions in Barcelona.
The substitutions of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela changed the game and if there was any emotion spare in the wake of such a tumultuous night, Spurs might have felt aggrieved that they didn’t secure a famous win.
Unfortunately, the caveat for such fame is that it usually turns heads, as Gareth Bale will testify after using the Champions League to catapult himself into the spotlight.
Barely a day goes by without reports emerging of Pochettino attracting interest from elsewhere. How Santiago Solari fares for the rest of the campaign should decide whether Real Madrid test the waters once again in the summer, having been knocked back just a few months ago.
Daniel Levy will rightly point out that his manager signed a new contract in May and wishes to be the man to lead them into their new stadium – whenever that will be.
However, if any doubts remained about the 46-year-old’s suitability for the top jobs, they ought to have been banished now.
It will have been particularly sweet securing such an important result against Ernesto Valverde. When the pair worked together at Espanyol, the current Barcelona manager axed Pochettino, their hugely popular captain.
The latter has since claimed that it was because he was too influential in the dressing room. If that story is true, it remains more relevant than ever. Europe’s elite coaches must fear the day when such a charismatic leader, able to swing a dressing room one way or the other, decides that he is ready for a new challenge.
Besides the obvious questions about silverware – and they are far too simplistic ones to ask of a club who did not spend a penny in the summer transfer window and who have essentially been playing without a home for a season and a half – there have never really been any doubts about what Pochettino and his backroom staff have achieved in the Premier League.
In Europe, they still had some questions to answer. Their first season of Champions League football saw Spurs exit at the group stages, while last season they were outwitted by admittedly a very strong Juventus side.
Having escaped Group B by the skin of their teeth, Tottenham – and Pochettino, in particular - now have the opportunity to make their mark on Europe.
