Ah, 2016/17. The glory days, you might call them. Just 10 years ago.
We've been subject to nadir after nadir in recent times, culminating in a close shave with relegation last season. During these darkest hours, in the aftermath of a 3-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, or the abject beatdowns were suffered at the hands of our fiercest rivals, it was easy to be swept up by a simpler time.
A doomscroll curiously provided solace. A Dele Alli highlight reel to the tune of Olivia Dean was never too far away. We resisted the habit of consuming the next piece of short-form content for just a few seconds of bliss. How good did we have it then, eh?
Mauricio Pochettino oversaw this wondrous period in N17, when anything seemed possible. Since he departed in 2019, supporters have pined for his return. The constant managerial turnover meant we've had plenty of opportunities to consider another Poch-led future, and it was never more tempting than earlier this year, when Spurs appeared utterly directionless after 40-odd days of Igor Tudor-led purgatory.
But as we know, Spurs instead handed the keys to Roberto De Zerbi, as another bout of Poch flirting failed to spark the reunion that so many had now been suckered into craving. The Argentine has since committed his future to the USMNT, having guided the hosts to a last-16 berth at the World Cup.
For now, Poch is content where he is, and Lilywhite supporters have thrust the Argentine to the back of their minds. However, a new interview has emerged with the former boss, and memories of that blissful era have come flooding back.
Poch explains why much-wanted reunion didn't happen this year
“Tottenham. It’s the only club that always I am open to help. In whatever division," Poch told The Guardian before admitting that poor timing meant he couldn't reunite with his beloved former club this year. When the decision-makers in North London were weighing up a second appointment of the Argentine, Championship football seemed a frightening possibility.
"Maybe one day the stars will align, and it can happen [return to Spurs]. If I was free, of course, I come. But I wasn’t free. I was preparing the World Cup," he added.
It's not merely because Pochettino oversaw the best period of Spurs' modern history, culminating in a Champions League final appearance, why supporters have long pined for the man's return. The Argentine was one of very few who simply got the club. He's what Jürgen Klopp was to the Gen Z Liverpool supporter, or what Mikel Arteta is to Arsenal now.
Poch harnessed that group of players almost single-handedly, building a young, dynamic squad that dared to dream. There was community and connection, so we all felt that we part of something special.
Poch believes 2016/17 Premier League title should be Tottenham's
Their failure to get over the line was a stick Poch's Spurs were battered with. Remarkably, our silverware drought continued while the Argentine was in charge, despite reaching two FA Cup semifinals, a League Cup final, and the aforementioned Champions League final in 2019.
In 2015/16, Spurs finished third in a two-horse title race won by miracle-workers Leicester, then his side finished seven points adrift of Antonio Conte's Chelsea the following year. The Blues have subsequently been punished for financial breaches relevant to that period, and Poch believes his second-place Spurs team, which finished with 86 points, should retrospectively receive the 2016/17 Premier League title.
“We should win one Premier League; we should have been awarded it. If that [Chelsea’s rule-break] was true, then we deserve to be champions that year, for sure. They were punished; they admitted it? So that’s it. The title should be for the team that was second," he said.
Chelsea were found to have used unlicensed agents and sought to obscure the nature of their transfer business between 2009 and 2022, with deals for several key figures in the Blues' title-winning season under Conte among those found to have transgressed.
They received fines from the FA and Premier League, but avoided a points deduction by self-reporting their breaches.
"It's completely fair to say that we [Spurs] didn’t compete before the start of the season with the same card. Maybe with the same rules, we could’ve signed some players who would have made the team better or scored more goals," Poch added, explaining why his former club should retrospectively receive a league title.
"If you broke the rules, then ciao—you need to give it to another team. I don’t know why that didn’t happen. What is being promoted and incentivised is to break the rules. If you don’t punish in the way that you need to punish, I say: ‘Yeah … I lost my job [at Spurs] because we didn’t win a title.’”
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