Toby Alderweireld: Real Madrid draw shows Tottenham can challenge the best despite not having won a trophy under Mauricio Pochettino

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The night Tottenham Hotspur matched the biggest club in the world, the team that has won three of the last four Champions League titles, may yet go down as a benchmark performance.

There will be those across north London who would be quick to remind Spurs that they have yet to win anything under their gilded manager, Mauricio Pochettino, while the much-derided Arsene Wenger has won three FA Cup wins in four years.

But taking on Real Madrid in their own back yard and pretty much matching them, even it needed a couple of exceptional saves from Hugo Lloris, felt significant. 

Against Real Madrid, Tottenham proved they can match the best, claims Toby Alderweireld

'There is no doubt it sent out a little message,' the Belgium defender said of the 1-1 stalemate

Mauricio Pochettino has been instrumental in their improvement but has not won a trophy 

Though Tottenham were at the Bernabeu in 2011 in a Champions League quarter final under Harry Redknapp when Peter Couch’s early sending off unbalanced the contest, it would be hard to argue that the club hasn’t progressed since then; and that Mauricio Pochettino, whose book is serialised in the Mail on Sunday this weekend, hasn’t been a huge factor in that improvement.

In the aftermath of the Bernabeu, Toby Alderweireld, probably the Premier League best defender in recent years, was keen to set the right tone: self-confidence laced with a degree of appropriate humility. 

‘We shouldn’t get carried away by our result in Madrid but there is no doubt it sent out a little message – we can compete with any team in the world,’ he said. ‘We work hard, we have good organisation and up front we have real quality.’

So to Liverpool and the Wembley problem. Pochettino, who is mightily bored of Wembley curse questions, would point to the fact that they have beaten Borussia Dortmund and Bournemouth there in recent weeks. 

Spurs and France goalkeeper Lloris played a starring role in their spirited away performance

But last season they dropped four points at White Hart Lane, a foundation on which they built a title challenge; this season they have already dropped seven points at Wembley.

That will need to improve rapidly if they are to challenge Manchester City and if this is to become a title race contested by the Harry Kane team and the Pep team. Pochettino was offended by Guardiola’s off-hand comment about Tottenham and Kane, though Alderweireld says he’s used to the glory going to goal-scorers and is happy for it to do so.

‘Me personally I don’t mind,’ he says. ‘I’m happy for all the praise to go to Christian (Eriksen] and H (Kane). After all they are making goals. But in the last two seasons we have had the best defensive record in the Premier League. We are probably the hardest-working team when opponents have the ball. 

Alderweireld trains alongside his team-mates ahead of their clash with Liverpool on Sunday

A lot is said about our attacking play and the goals we score, and rightly so. But to be a good team, to be a successful team you have to be well organised and strong at the back, and we are that.’

What Tottenham have, which was in question previously, is a determination and durability and that seems to stem directly from Pochettino. ‘He is one of the best in the world,’ said Alderweireld. 

‘Everyone knows 100 per cent what they have to do and what position we have to be when we don’t have the ball. And the fighting spirit; we play with our heart. He picks the right team, the players who have the heart to play, the players who will work, run and who are physically fit.

‘Physically we have to be top, we work very hard because if you want to play with your heart you can’t do it for 70 minutes; you have to do it for 90 minutes. Against Real Madrid, we showed physically we were up there.’ Not just physically. Tottenham are competing with the best. Now they have to take the next step and overhaul them.