Tottenham good, but
lacked the spark
Tottenham had been one of the five clubs, which pushed for
the founding of English Premier League. They contested alongside the big boys
of English Football, but the desired results were not coming at all. The Spurs
invested faith inTeddy Sheringham, Jurgen Klinsmann and David Ginola for a
brief period, but the returns were not good - finished mid-table most
seasons with few trophies won.
The performance started to improve under Harry Redknapp in
the latter part of last decade. Legendary figures like Luka Modric and Gareth
Bale flourished under him. In the 2009-10 season, Tottenham secured a place in
the UEFA Champions League – it was a dream come true after so many days
spent in wilderness. Redknapp had fixed the North London Club and what required
was to take it to the next level. Tottenham required a spark.
Pochettino arrives
and changes the fate of Tottenham
Back in 2001, Sugar sold his share-holding in Spurs to EINIC
Sports Inc. run by Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy and then stepped down as Chairman.
Both of them focused on the spark, which would take Tottenham to the next level
and transformed it into a crowd-favourite club across the globe. They rang the
bell and an Argentine named Mauricio Pochettino opened the door and
responded to their dream. In 2014, Pochettino was appointed as the head coach
of Tottenham and a new era begun in the history of the club.
Pochettino invested faith in youth – Harry Kane was chosen
as the first-choice striker ahead of Spanish International Roberto Soldado. It
was dubbed as a gamble, but in course, it has been proven as a gutsy decision.
Eric Dier and Delle Ali followed Kane and became established names under
Pochettino. Then an Asian named Heung-Min Son became a global star, while the
lost action hero of Brazil Lucas Moura got a new life under Pochettino. Again,
the Danish creative master Christian Eriksen came of age to become one of the
targets of Real Madrid under the Argentinian.
Pochettino managed to spend just £95m net on transfers, 17th
among current Premier League teams, while the others ran after mega-signings
and breaking the bank at any cost. The move was successful.
In the 2016-17 season, Pochettino's men eventually finished
in second place with 86 points, their highest-ever tally since the English
League began under the new denomination and their highest ranking in 54 years
since 1962–63 under Bill Nicholson. And, the first season-long unbeaten home
run in 52 years since 1964–65 was also achieved. In the 2018-19 season,
Pochettino won his 100th Premier League match as manager of Tottenham and
became the first Tottenham coach to reach this milestone and the third quickest
Premier League manager to achieve the feat with a single club.
In the same season, Tottenham became the master of dramatic
matches in one of the most epic Champions League battles the history of the
competition. After the heart-racing contest against Pep Guardiola’s
Manchester City, drama unleashed at it’s very best in Amsterdam, where his men
came from a two-goal deficit against the brilliant Ajax side to claim a place
in the final. Pochettino’s men ended up as the runners-up, but that season elevated
the status of Pochettino and Tottenham.
Levy extended his contract until 2023.
But tragedy struck!
End of an adventurous
journey
Tottenham’s start to this season had been rocky. Somehow the
wheels started to come out of the vehicle as Tottenham continued to digest
humiliating defeats in almost every match. Right now they stand 14th in the
Premier League points table – a shocker state for the fans, who almost forgot
the strugglings of old days. The recent successes of the club have raised the bar,
but all of a sudden, this downfall neither impressed the owner nor the fans.
But it was this man, on whom each and everyone had kept faith and trusted his
decisions – no matter how wild the sea might be, Pochettino would steer the
shape safely home.
Quite astonishingly, that faith faded. On November 20, 2019,
Tottenham sacking Pochettino hit the headlines. No one was prepared for this
decision. Some thought, it was done in haste, some thought it was ruthless,
while for some, this was inevitable.
After fairytale-success-story managerial roles meeting a
disappointing end is nothing new. Football fans across the world are quite
habituated with such stories, but still, a sudden shock engulfs them – perhaps,
at the back of the mind, they don’t wish to prepare for such shocks. No one
wishes to witness the downfall of agents-of-change like Pochettino.
Indeed, it was a shocking downfall and a brutal decision,
but the failure of just one season can never belittle the achievements of
Pochettino, who let people love the Spurs for their attacking intent and
never-say-die attitude. North London had not been all about the Gunners or the
Blues, as the Spurs challenged their existence and for the last five years, one
can admit, Spurs replaced Arsenal and Chelsea as one of the crowd favourites.
All good things come to an end and in football, they just
make a big noise.
There came a time, when Pochettino’s plans had not been
working. The team seemed to have been engulfed by lack of confidence – the
process of putrification was evident, which the once leader of the pack could
not halt – some of his men lost faith in him – started to act according to
their whims and when this happens, it becomes hard for anyone to sustain. A
downfall is evident. The players deserve some sticking as well, but you can’t
sack all of them, so, let’s sack the coach!
It’s not the end of
story
If one door closes then another will open. That is the funda
of human life. Pochettino is someone, who is widely regarded as one of the best
minds in modern football. His coaching skills and experience are of
high-quality. Big clubs in Europe would definitely open the door for him.
Certainly, this is not the end of Pochettino’s story. We might observe his
magic in one of the biggest clubs in Europe in future.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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