Tottenham's new stadium is breathtaking, imposing and certainly worth the wait
A first glimpse of Tottenham’s new stadium takes the breath away, and will leave many forgetting the setbacks, delays and trips to Wembley over the past two seasons. The wait was more than worth it.
Fans, players and even chairman stood in awe as they made their way into their new home for the first time, Mauricio Pochettino sharing brief moment of celebration with Daniel Levy as they stood on the pitch in the empty stadium before the supporters made their way in.
They have every right to be proud. Everyone connected with Tottenham has seen CGI images, pictures and videos of the new stadium, but that does nothing to lessen the impact of the frankly astonishing view, the South Stand in particular. Holding 17,500 it is the largest single stand in the country, is ready for safe standing and, even when empty, is more imposing than many stadiums at capacity.
The football on the day took a back seat, though there were special moments for J’Neil Bennett and Harvey White as they eased Spurs into the lead with the first and second goals ever scored here, while midfielder Oliver Skipp showed just why he’ll be turning out for the senior team at the stadium on a regular basis.
There will, undoubtedly, be teething problems. But everything in this stadium is built to purpose, to impress. Their stadium is now one of the best in Europe, and Pochettino’s ambitions appear to match it.
"My feeling is unbelievable,” the Spurs boss, who watched from the new directors’ box alongside Levy, said at half time.
“It's so difficult to explain with only a few words. We all feel the same, so excited. I think I got the same feeling when we left the last day White Hart Lane. We were crying, now the first day here at the new stadium we feel the same emotion.
“It's going to be a huge impact for the club. We're in a good place. 62,000 in the quarter-final of the Champions League it's going to be fantastic. We can make possible our dream to be in the semi-final, why not?”
Wembley grew stale with Tottenham as tenants. Attendances dwindled and performances could often be flat as frustrations kept increasing numbers away from their temporary home.
This new stadium, the events that will be a Premier League opener against Crystal Palace before that Champions League clash with Manchester City, they are all worth the frustrations suffered over the past two seasons.
Nothing has been handled particularly well regarding the delays since the start of the season, but Tottenham’s new home sits resplendent as one huge ‘thank you’ to the club and the fans. The remainder of the season should be fun back in north London.
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