For Tottenham Hotspur, it is a return that underlines a sense of wasted possibilities. They are back in Spain for the first time since May’s Europa League final ended their 17-year for a trophy, back at the Metropolitano where, in 2019, they had hoped to win the Champions League for the first time in their history.
And yet, somehow, this may be the least important game of their season. A far greater crisis has enveloped Tottenham. Atletico Madrid could represent an alternative reality for them, a club who have had their own unhappy experience of Champions League finals, who usually finish behind the superclubs in their own country, but who are nevertheless constants in the most prestigious and profitable continental competition.
