While playing in South America Mauricio Pochettino sometimes feared for his life. Compared to that, he says, a Capital One Cup semi-final is no problem

Semi-finals? He’s had a few. Casting his mind back over his playing career in Argentina, Spain and France, Mauricio Pochettino’s memory automatically drifts to a situation so hostile, so molten with febrile energy, he feared for his life.

Sitting in the pristine environment of Tottenham’s smart training ground, where everything is clean and serenely quiet, Pochettino goes through the motions of discussing how his team might approach the second leg of their Capital One Cup tie at Sheffield United. Then his eyes light up, his expressions gain warmth and passion, as he recalls the mayhem he experienced as a young player tackling a shuddering semi-final in South America. Suffice to say, the experience means he is not overly alarmed about a trip up the M1 to Bramall Lane.

Pochettino vividly remembers the detail of the notorious Copa Libertadores semi-final he took part in back in 1992. His team, Newell’s Old Boys, travelled north from Argentina to Colombia for a second leg against América de Cali, having drawn 1-1 in the opening match.

“It’s difficult to play in Colombia. I remember going up the tunnel to the pitch and they started to throw batteries. Before the game my team-mate got hit and cut on the head. He had to get stitches from the doctor, it was very tough,” he explains. “You go to these countries to play Copa Libertadores or World Cup qualifiers. I remember every time we drove from the airport all the glass on the bus was smashed and we fell to the floor. It was always crazy with the army, military people, police.

“Sometimes you are scared,” he recalls. “In Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru or Ecuador, people are very aggressive. Sometimes you are worried for your life.”

Pochettino and his team-mates had to contend with crackling antagonism from the Colombian crowd and some wild challenges on the pitch. Newell’s won a free kick early on – there was a flurry of shoving before it could be taken – and Pochettino shrugged off a defender grasping his shirt to head his team into the lead. America equalised and after extra time, in this seething atmosphere, it boiled down to a shoot-out. “We won after 24 penalties,” says Pochettino. He happened to have a Chris Waddle moment when it was his turn – “I wasn’t going to mention that,” he chuckles – but all’s well that ended well.

The Newell’s players celebrated in an almighty bundle, having thrived in an environment where they were so palpably unwelcome. “If I can cope with that, we can cope with anything,” he says. “When I came over to France, England or Spain, people told me it was difficult to play. But when we arrived, it was nothing. They shout when something goes wrong but nothing else. This is easy.”

He doesn’t miss that extreme tension and explosiveness. He knows his family used to worry about him when he went on these dangerous excursions around Latin America. “Life here is better, more comfortable,” he says. “Maybe it’s normal that the supporters shout at you, but in Argentina it’s impossible to have the supporters close behind you [in the dugout]. Because saliva, they throw things, radios, mobiles, it’s dangerous. But in England the respect is massive. I think football is to be enjoyed, for families, no violence.”

While he is expecting a calmer affair at Sheffield United, the game itself and its outcome is no less critical. Pochettino reckons this is the most important match of his Tottenham tenure. With a final at stake, and a slender 1-0 advantage to take into the game, the manager demands his team play with absolute focus.

“Our fans expect us to arrive at the final at Wembley,” he says. “But we need to play better than Sheffield, show more energy than Sheffield and try to fight. For me we need to go there thinking it is 0-0. I believe we will need to score. We have to forget about the first leg and show the mentality to win.”

Mindful of the spate of shocks in the FA Cup last weekend, with Bradford City and Middlesbrough in particular flying the flag so fervently for lower-league clubs, he urges Tottenham’s players to find the balance between being “careful” and “playing freely”.

Michel Vorm is expected to continue in goal despite a late blunder against Leicester that ended Tottenham’s participation in this season’s FA Cup. As to whether Pochettino would select him over Hugo Lloris if Tottenham do reach the final, the answer was a definite maybe. Harry Kane, who was on the bench against them, should return to the front line in place of Roberto Soldado.

Tottenham last won a trophy in 2008, when they defeated Chelsea in the Carling Cup final with goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Jonathan Woodgate. They returned to Wembley the following year in the same competition, losing to Manchester United on penalties.

Pochettino is hopeful that a positive outcome against Sheffield United can cement his relationship with the club and the fans at White Hart Lane. “Always when you get success it is a special thing for the fans and the club. Maybe if you win the final you go into the club’s history,” he says.

The nostalgia of his experiences with Newell’s remains strong. Pochettino is keen to write a new chapter to remember with Tottenham.