Their spurs
and Baldini) to try and make the array of signings made with the ‘Bale money’ work.
Yet trying to get more experienced professionals to adapt to his gruelling, pressing philosophy proved tough for Pochettino.
Following home defeats to West Brom, Newcastle and Stoke, it was becoming clear he was having just as big a struggle as AVB and Sherwood did to get the best out of the big name signings.
But Pochettino did have other players to turn to. He used the Europa League and Capital One Cup, muchmaligned competitions by many football fans, to test his youngsters and those on the fringes of the first team line up.
Soon players such as Kane and Ryan Mason were proving difficult to leave out of Premier League matches for much longer.
Combing the hunger and raw talent of players like Kane, Mason, Dier and Bentaleb with the class of Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen, Hugo Lloris and the muchimproved Chadli worked well.
Stand-out performances against Chelsea and Arsenal followed in the next couple of months, dispatching them 5-3 and 2-1 respectively.
Furthermore, Spurs reached the Capital One Cup final, where they were defeated 2-0 by Chelsea.
The potential of the side was beginning to show. It also looked at one point that Spurs may put up a realistic fight for the Champions League but they fell away towards the end of the season as fatigue kicked in.
Levy has shown faith in Pochettino by supporting him in the transfer market and when he wanted to make changes behind the scenes. Paul Mitchell was brought in to the club last November to assist Pochettino in the recruitment side of the game. The pair had worked successfully together at Southampton and Levy could hardly argue that Baldini, who departed the club, had been a success.
Deadwood has been cleared out this summer, while more youthful players, English and continental, have been recruited with Heung-min Son, Kieran Trippier, Kevin Wimmer, Clinton N’Jie and, of course, Dele Alli all aged 23 and under. Toby Alderweireld, aged 26, has also
been brought in to strengthen the defence.
The trust in youth which Pochettino exhibits is illustrated by the fact that Tottenham’s squad have the youngest average age in the Premier league at 24.9 years old.
Some media outlets reported that Pochettino was Roy Hodgson’s ‘special guest’ at Wembley for England’s recent friendly against France because he has shown so much faith in English youth.
Alli, Dier and Kane all started with the highly impressive Alli scoring in the 2-0 win.
Results and performances so far this season, such as a 4-1 win against title contenders Manchester City, show this Spurs side could go far.
But there will be disappointments this season as well. That is what happens with young players.
But if we look at the broader picturer for a moment, the change in philosophy at Tottenham that has taken place on and off the pitch in the space of two years has been remarkable.
It has been referred to as a period of transition by many people and pundits alike.
Cynics may claim that Spurs will always be in transition if they continuously sell their best players (Bale, Berbatov, the list goes on) but there is something different this time.
The youth that Spurs have been breeding in their academy coupled with smart recruitment of young players from other clubs in England and abroad is exactly what Pochettino wants.
He wants players with hunger and a willingness to learn so they can be moulded into his own team.
Champions League football may not come this season but for the first time in a while at Spurs there may just be a strategy. A philosophy. An identity.