TIME FOR SPURS TO GIVE POCH THE PUSH?
Boss has no answers as his side daydream to defeat
The BT Sport cameramen were not subtle. As three minutes of stoppage time was announced, one positioned himself to the right of Mauricio Pochettino, the other to his left.
There was no escaping the prying eyes of those at home — the majority of whom were left wondering whether Pochettino, manager of Tottenham hotspur since 2014, is nearing the end.
Precisely 150 days ago, it was the same and yet so different. The cameras were fixated on the Spurs boss as he dissolved in tears, on his knees and tie askew in Amsterdam.
Tottenham had just secured their spot in the Champions League final. he was delirious.
They all were, with harry Kane defying his injured ankle to charge on to the pitch to celebrate.
Five months on, this is no longer a happy club. Those same players who performed so heroically in europe have now been embarrassed twice in a week — 7-2 by Bayern Munich, 3-0 by Brighton.
On Saturday, they came for a stroll by the seaside rather than to compete.
erik Lamela looked lazy, eric Dier and Tanguy Ndombele showed no understanding in midfield, Christian eriksen was daydreaming (perhaps about life in Madrid), Kane was a ghost, and Pochettino had no answers.
At 2-0, the home supporters could be heard singing: ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning.’
At 3-0, they were louder, more discernible. how often have we heard that chanted at the Argentine? BT Sport pundit Joe Cole highlighted in his post- match analysis that he seemed ‘uninterested on the touchline’ and, according to insiders, that is coming across on the training pitch too, when he is there.
As revealed by Sportsmail, he has taken to watching some training via the club’s CCTV system.
For so long, Pochettino has been untouchable. he had an air of immunity, he was above those stories of bookmakers slashing odds on the next boss to get the sack. The worry was he would walk out on Spurs — for Madrid or Manchester United — not that the club might pull the trigger.
That is no longer the case. After two humbling defeats and 10 goals conceded in five days, the 47-year-old’s future is as fragile as his defensive set-up. If Claudio Ranieri can get sacked after leading Leicester to the title, if Roberto Di Matteo can be binned by Chelsea after winning the Champions League, then Pochettino is not beyond the boot.
The big stumbling block is that it could cost the notoriously frugal Spurs chairman Daniel Levy up to £32 million to sack Pochettino, having given him an £8.5m per
annum five-year deal 18 months ago. But how long can Levy let it slide?
The working relationship between Pochettino and Levy became strained by disagreements over the summer. one is a coach, the other a businessman. What they do have in common is that both are tacticians. Levy will now be considering his next move.
If it comes to Poch getting the push who would come in?
Jurgen Klinsmann would love the job and has a great CV but has been out of management for some time.
Jose Mourinho is available but it is hard to imagine him working within Spurs’ financial structure.
That would not be a problem for the much-admired Eddie Howe.
on Saturday, Graham Potter’s brilliant Brighton had Tottenham’s number from start to finish.
Aaron Connolly, the 19-year-old making his full Premier League debut, scored twice, while Neal Maupay capitalised on Hugo Lloris fumbling a routine catch for their opener. To add to Spurs’ woes, Lloris suffered a horrific dislocated elbow as he landed awkwardly.
Pochettino said the sight of his captain being carried off on a stretcher and receiving oxygen had a psychological effect on his players. Perhaps, but that cannot excuse their poor positioning and lack of energy in pressing.
Moussa Sissoko, a midfielder used at right back, was given a rough ride as all of Brighton’s goals originated from his side.
In a bid to explain the team’s troubles, Sissoko wrote on social media: ‘It’s not a lack of desire on our part, neither of the staff nor of the club, quite the contrary.
‘We will only succeed in reversing the trend if we all do it together. It is all together that we will succeed in changing the situation. Let us remain united.’
A hint for the chairman, perhaps?