FOWLER Poch might just be starting to wonder if his time is up at Spurs

He’s taken Spurs as close as you can get without getting over that line to trophies. Sometimes, it takes that final push. I remember saying a few years ago City needed to sort out their defence to win the league under Pep Guardiola…and they went out and spent hundreds of millions on defenders.

Liverpool did the same with Van Dijk and Alisson. A £140m outlay was the difference, it won them the Champions League and the Reds reached the biggest points total in their history. Pochettino must look at that and wonder what he could have done with the same backing.

If Spurs have made a mistake, then it’s playing hard ball with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. They’ve missed out on the money that could have given them the final push. Like Philippe Coutinho’s huge transfer fee paid by Barcelona did for Liverpool.

What is it Kenny Rogers said? ‘You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em’. That’s not the manager’s fault.

I also get it that Spurs maybe need a manager at a different stage in his career too.

Pochettino was young and hungry and prepared to work within their financial limitations, build a young side with an emphasis on development.

He’s on a different trajectory now, but maybe Tottenham aren’t.

Maybe they need a young Pochettino again, someone who can work within their budget and develop another young team, promoting from within and nurturing talent.

As I say, it works both ways. But the fact is, despite their struggles in the past few months, no one should be surprised if they go to Anfield today and win.

The past four years tell you they’re capable of that under Poch.