Did Tottenham make a mistake by sacking Mauricio Pochettino?
By Gary Pearson
Will Tottenham Hotspur, by sacking Mauricio Pochettino, rue their decision to part ways with one of the club’s most venerated managers?
Pondering this question ad nauseam, I’m yet to find a conclusive answer to the emotionally stirring question. Regardless of news of Pochettino’s sacking becoming official, he will always be regarded of as one of Spurs’ greatest all-time managers.
But for at least four months now, things at the club have unravelled in the most ignominious of fashions. And nobody, not even the exalted Pochettino, is immune from that sort of regression. The gaffer extracted the best from a number of his first-team assets in his five years in charge of the club.
He, almost singlehandedly, brought Tottenham back to prominence. Before his arrival in May 2014, few people would have expected four straight top four finishes. And nobody would have expected a berth in the Champions League Final, the most coveted club football match.
Yet still he lost his job. In the modern age of football, it’s impossible for any manager to be provided with perpetual impunity. Pochettino was held accountable for his side’s sharp degradation. He was, if you will, the scapegoat.
Whether fair or not, no manager can escape the wrath of a giant club afflicted by such a widespread, pervading cancer. Pochettino, if he was given another five years, would have cured Tottenham’s cancer.
But we all know the Argentinian wouldn’t stay at Spurs for another five years. Ambitious and highly touted, Pochettino, at some point in the near future, wants to take the reins at a world juggernaut, the likes of Real Madrid.
With that in mind, Levy took the decision, thinking the club was better to relieve Pochettino of his duties now.
Could it be a mistake? Absolutely.
But modern football clubs aren’t known for their unwavering patience. They don’t rest on their laurels, usually acting impulsively and without hesitation.
Next. Top four candidates to replace Pochettino. dark
The writing was on the wall and the club decided it was best to move forward in another direction. Otherwise Levy and his fellow schemers would have found themselves locked in a state of extended purgatory.
One thing is now certain: Spurs will no longer the imperious Argentinian marshalling the sidelines. Something I still can’t quite come to terms with. For me, it is a mistake, and a sad day in Spurs’ history.
Only time will tell if the club made a mistake by sacking Pochettino. But we all knew Levy wasn’t going to sit idly by and watch Spurs continue their decline.