Why Tottenham Hotspur Stadium trip means more than David versus Goliath challenge for Leeds United

On Sunday, when thousands of Whites and tens of thousands of Spurs supporters make their presence felt, it will be a completely different stadium.

For Leeds the trip will be a reminder of the gap that exists between them and the Premier League elite – Angus Kinnear has pointed out on numerous occasions the disparity between his club’s earning power and that of clubs like Spurs, who prise money so effortlessly out of the hands of punters in new and inventive ways.

It is one of those stadiums that might never rival a packed Elland Road for raw, primal atmosphere or authenticity but the sheer scale of the vast bowl and its highest single-tier stand in the country, tells a story of the company Leeds now keep and the daunting task facing them.

Stadiums like this house an operation that dwarfs the set-up at LS11 in most ways you can think of, and when you look at the resources new boss Antonio Conte has at his disposal, it’s very much a David and Goliath story, in terms of proportion and difficulty.

Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa, the smooth stone with which they have armed themselves in the land of footballing giants, hope this weekend’s visit to London has an ending akin to that of the story of the shepherd boy and the giant warrior.

But this trip is a reminder to pause and look back at how far the club has come, something the relentless pace of the modern football industry does not encourage.

There is always a next game, a next signing, a managerial change, a return from injury, a promotion, a relegation or an ascent to Europe – something to look forward to and prepare for.

It won’t be long at all before talk at Leeds turns to the gradual replacement of the core group who helped the great Championship escape become reality, because that is the natural order in football.

Yet for players like Liam Cooper, not long turned 30, games in stadiums like Tottenham’s, against players like Harry Kane, should represent a pinch-yourself moment and a momentary reflection on his journey.

The club captain returned to Thorp Arch this week from the Scotland camp, the Hampden roar ringing in his ears after that famous win over Denmark on Monday.

This is a player who clawed his way back to the top after Hull City released him and no matter how much he believed and clung to his dream, he could not have dared imagine the things he would see and do in the nine years since he started again at Chesterfield.

Time flies when you’re having fun and in the blink of an eye Cooper will be talking about his career in the past tense, so weeks like this are to be savoured, somehow. For supporters of the club, it’s easy to live in the future when there’s talk of a redeveloped Elland Road and European nights under the lights but it’s not so long ago that they were cramming into Kenilworth Road and memories of attending league games at Yeovil or Carlisle are more recent than those of attending league games at Spurs.

Appreciating how far the club has come to get to this point and appreciating the players who made it happen and are well capable of ensuring the club stays here, is important.

Expectations and reasoned criticism of performances are perfectly normal but you don’t know what you’ve got until he’s playing at a level well below his ability in Saudi Arabia.

Gjanni Alioski did not have a good time of it at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season but he recovered and did just fine at left-back in the second half of the campaign, certainly well enough to suggest he could have provided adequate back-up for Junior Firpo this season.

He moved on, however, and others will too in time. Some departures generate more fear and right now Raphinha’s is perhaps simultaneously the most expected and the least desired. The sight of a Leeds winger flying back from international duty on a private jet with the Premier League’s Brazilian contingent, after a game against Argentina, was another pinch yourself moment for Leeds. The sound of Brazil boss Tite breathing a Leeds player’s name in the same sentence as Lionel Messi, was too. A talent like his is to be savoured. It belongs to be showcased in the biggest stadiums, against teams like Spurs.

Like Bielsa, Raphinha is an equaliser, another stone to be slung at giants. When he got the ball in this fixture back in January, his every move held promise.

This time round, on Sunday, he will generate the buzz and noise that gives football its soul and every moment will matter even more.