Hugo Lloris using miracle of Zagreb as inspiration

For Hugo Lloris the homecoming was always likely to be emotional. The Tottenham Hotspur captain hails from Nice; he made his way into the professional game at his hometown club and he has long considered Monaco – a little further up the Côte d'Azur – as a rival to be respected.

He even has a family tie to the principality. Lloris is a white-collar kind of guy and his father, Luc, continues to work as a banker in Monte Carlo.

Lloris, though, is preoccupied with a different kind of comeback story. Spurs are in a Champions League mess of their own making, after the Wembley defeats by Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen. Lloris mentioned how "the fact is we are struggling at Wembley" and the likelihood is Tottenham will need an away win against Monaco on Tuesday night to stay alive.

It is a tall order. Monaco have improved since last season, when Tottenham took four points from them at the Europa League group phase, and there is a vibrancy about their attacking play. They lie second in Ligue 1, three points behind the leaders, Nice, and they have scored 39 goals in their 13 matches in the competition so far.

In this town of high-rollers Lloris accepts that he and his team-mates are in the last-chance saloon but he has known worse in his career and he has come out on the other side. In December 2011 Lloris and his former club, Lyon, needed a win on the final night of the group phase at Dinamo Zagreb – plus a seven-goal swing over Ajax, who were at home to Real Madrid.

Sensational fashion

At half-time in Zagreb Lyon had trailed 1-0 but they would revive in sensational fashion to win 7-1 while Ajax lost 3-0 against Real. The Dutch club complained to Uefa about what they felt was a suspicious result but nothing untoward was proved and Lloris said it merely went to show that nothing was impossible in this crazy sport. The miracle of Zagreb, to his mind, offers hope.

“We need to believe in ourselves and be ready for any eventuality,” Lloris said. “It is difficult to compare [to 2011] as Zagreb had no chance of going through whereas Monaco just need a point to progress. But it does show you that we are not out of the competition yet.”

Lloris went on, in his quietly spoken manner, to ratchet up on the pressure on Monaco. “There is a feeling in France that Monaco are in such a good position they have more to lose than us,” he said.

“We cannot be in a worse situation and they know it is in their hands. They will be under pressure to take the game to us and sometimes that responsibility can do funny things to a team.”

Tottenham's confidence has been lifted by the dramatic result against West Ham United on Saturday evening, when Harry Kane scored in the 89th and 91st minutes to secure a 3-2 win. Had they failed to complete the comeback, it would have been eight games without a win. Lloris mentioned how Kane's return from an ankle ligament injury had brought "a lot of positive energy".

Nonetheless the defender Danny Rose was not guilty of understatement when he described this as a “massive week for the football club”. After Monaco comes the visit on Saturday to Chelsea – the scene of the end of their Premier League title hopes last season, when the game finished 2-2 and Tottenham had a record nine players booked.

‘Gutted’

“The feeling after the Chelsea game last season is one that I never want to feel again,” Rose said. “There were people upset, crying in the changing room. I hope that everyone has learned from that.”

Rose will miss the game at Stamford Bridge through suspension, after he was booked for the fifth time this season against West Ham, and he said he was “gutted” about it. “The Chelsea game was the first fixture I looked out for in the summer,” Rose said. “But I’ll be there, either travelling with the team or in with the fans.”

There were other side issues, including Lloris’s new contract talks, which he has placed on hold while he concentrates on what is a defining period on the pitch. “There is no need for anybody to worry,” Lloris said. “I want to repeat that my commitment is to the club and there is no rush. I am under contract until 2019.”

The focus was on the Monaco tie and nothing more. Chelsea could wait. Mauricio Pochettino talked about being clever and patient – as they were against West Ham – but he agreed Monaco had enjoyed a slight advantage by having played their league fixture at Lorient on Friday night.

They won 3-0 while Spurs needed stoppage time to see off the 17th-placed team in England. Pochettino said he would have to assess the readiness of Kane, Mousa Dembélé and Dele Alli to complete 90 minutes. Tottenham have it all to do.