Bertrand: Saints can get a Champions League spot

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His winner’s medal from that famous night is still in his possession, but is rarely, if ever, looked at.

In fact, while his role in Chelsea’s surprise triumph over Bayern Munich will forever be a source of enormous pride, it is not a topic Bertrand wishes to spend long discussing.

“If you just met me, you probably wouldn’t find out unless someone else spoke about it,” he said.

“It’s something that I’ll never reflect on too much.

“Even to this day I haven’t watched the game back.”

He’ll no doubt enjoy it when he eventually does.

Bertrand started for Chelsea that night – in Bayern’s home stadium – becoming the first-ever player to make his Champions League debut in the final of the competition, and helping the Blues on their way to an improbable penalty-shootout win over the German club.

It is not that he won’t discuss the occasion – he talks about it being “like a movie” and speaks of “so many memories of that that will stay with me,” – it is just that he does not want to dwell on it.

“You brought up my achievements and stuff, but it’s not something that I want to sit on and sit back and think ‘Yeah, that’s it, it’s done’,” he said.

“I want to go and get it again.”

So, the question is, can he get back to the Champions League at some point with Saints?

In fact, is it possible the club, who now head into a potentially defining run of fixtures in second place, could shock everyone and even qualify this season?

“Yeah, definitely, I don’t see why not, especially with the so-called other bigger sides stuttering this year,” said Bertrand, who is on loan at St Mary’s from Chelsea, and is likely to make the move permanent next summer. “I’m not saying we’re only going to get there because they’re stuttering, but if we don’t aim for the top four, why are we playing?

“It doesn’t make sense to aim for sixth. You’ve got to aim for the top (the title), but if you’re being a realist you say let’s aim for the Champions League.”

Some will no doubt scoff, but Bertrand insists the perception that Saints are punching above their weight is not shared by the players.

“I think from the outside world they’re continuously waiting for us to blow up,” he said.

“We fully feel at home where we are. We don’t come in every day pinching ourselves and being like ‘Ooh, we’re up there still.’”

Bertrand points to how convincingly Saints have won many of their matches this season as further evidence of their strength.

“That’s another thing which we haven’t had too much credit for,” he said. “I think when we’ve won we’ve really diminished teams.

“I think the difference between us as well is we’re not solely focused on one person.

“There are other teams where someone will come into a rich vein of form and is scoring a lot of goals and stuff, but we’re pretty even, and I think we all kind of help out – assists all round the pitch and goals all round the pitch.”

Bertrand added: “We’re aware we fully deserve to be where we are and we also know what it’s took to get us there and that’s the work-rate that we’ve done, the individual quality that we produce, collectively as well, and most of all our team spirit, and there won’t be many teams that will be willing to work for one another more than us.”

That sense of togetherness is a regular theme when speaking to the players, and Bertrand, who has been loaned out to seven different clubs already in his career, is well placed to speak about how it compares.

“It’s right up there,” he said. “One of the best. It will take a special team to rival us in that sense.”

Saints’ credentials will certainly be given a thorough examination over the next week or so, with tomorrow’s visit of defending Premier League champions Manchester City being followed by a trip to Arsenal and then a home game against Manchester United.

“We’re looking forward to imposing ourselves against a team that’s very close to us in the table,” said Bertrand, of the clash with City.

“There’s a lot riding on this game, but, at the same time, it is another game. There’s only three points at stake, there’s not six for this one.

“But we’ll be right up for it and hopefully we can get them.

“In terms of our approach, it’s two big teams. We’re second, they’re third.

“It’s not the traditional Manchester United second and them third, or where they both go in quite tense.

“We’re fully enjoying it up the top and long may that continue, so we will go into this game relishing the opportunity.”

Bertrand added: “I think it’s a compliment when people say ‘But they ain’t played the big teams yet’, because technically they’re classing us as one of the big teams now.

“I think people will be looking for it, but our season won’t be determined over the next three games. There’s so many games to play. But it’s important at the same time that we want to keep that good vibe going and try to get as many wins as we can.”

So, what represents a good week – indeed a good festive period – for Saints?

“Win more than we lose,” said Bertrand. “That’s the aim.”

Achieve it, and the 25-year-old might find himself one step closer to a Champions League return.