Opinion: The Pochettino era at Tottenham appears to be on its last legs
With a 3-0 defeat to Brighton the weekend after a 7-2 Champions League humbling against Bayern Munich, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham are spiraling.
The Mauricio Pochettino era at Tottenham has been undoubtedly one of the best periods in the club’s storied history. Over the course of six seasons, Spurs have reached new heights, including competing in Premier League title races and last season reaching the Champions League Final.
However, modern football moves in cycles. Managers rarely stay for extended tenures reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger of yesteryear, and once the message in a dressing room goes stale and enthusiasm wanes, teams of even title-winning quality can fall off a cliff. Take for example the end of Jürgen Klopp’s tenure with Borussia Dortmund or José Mourinho’s final year at Chelsea. In both cases, these coaches achieved extreme success but stayed a year too long, resulting in a lack of buy-in and enthusiasm from the players as their teams plummeted down the table.
While it is still too early to definitively say whether or not Pochettino’s race is run in North London, the similarities are uncanny. After overachieving to reach a Champions League Final which they lost to a domestic rival (much like Klopp’s Dortmund), Spurs feel like a team that have peaked and almost, in a sense, given up. With seemingly never-ending links away from the club for Pochettino himself, who has done very little over the past six months to quell such rumors, and a group of players whose commitment does not resemble that of years’ past, it appears to be the end of an era at Tottenham.
Whether the players have quit or the manager’s message has simply gone stale, there seems to be a lack of commitment and drive from within this Spurs team. A home defeat like the one to Bayern in midweek should spark a reaction within a team, but Spurs once again appeared despondent and lifeless against Brighton.
It seems natural for Spurs to cling to Pochettino and believe that he can return his side to form, but these types of situations typically only end one way. It is no indictment against the Argentinian manager, nor the Tottenham squad, but rather, the realities of the cyclic nature of modern football.
Dynasties do not last forever in the modern game; in the next few seasons, Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City and Klopp will depart Liverpool and those teams will be forced to recycle with a new message. Guardiola has made it a point in his career to never stay at a club for longer than four or five seasons, seemingly to avoid the inherent drop-off that comes with staying at a club a year too long.
While Pochettino’s decision to stay largely rested on his appreciation for his time at Spurs and his fiery desire to deliver the club’s first trophy in 12 years, the reality is that this iteration of Tottenham hit its final peak in that run to Madrid last season, and that he has stayed a year too long.
Stating that the Pochettino era in North London is over does not necessarily rule out another period of huge success in the near future. Spurs could easily reload and challenge for trophies in the coming seasons, although, in my opinion, it will take new leadership at the managerial position. Whether it be Brendan Rodgers, who looks poised for tremendous success at Leicester City this season and appears hungry to get back into a Big Six managerial position, or another candidate, Spurs are a top job in English football.
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Pochettino has laid the foundation for Spurs to become a consistently successful club both in the Premier League and in Europe. However, it appears his time at the club will be coming to an end in the near future. With that said, Tottenham can appreciate all he has created, despite the disastrous start to this season, and look to build on this era heading into the future.