In a stunning turn of events, Tottenham Hotspur made a coaching change which not many could have seen coming. Mauricio Pochettino, who had been Spurs' head coach for over five years, was fired and replaced by José Mourinho after a recent run of form which had seen the London club fall to 14th place in the Premier League while also being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Colchester. Their only saving grace had been their expected progress to the Champions League's round of 16; even so, they will do so as the second-placed team in Group B, thus forcing them to play against a first-place team in the next round.
On the whole, I will say that Pochettino did an excellent job during his stint in North London. He led Tottenham to a second-place Premier League finish in the 2016-17 season and, even more impressively, took them to the final of last season's Champions League where they lost to Liverpool. The Argentine also played an important role in turning Harry Kane into a bona fide superstar while also surrounding him with several solid supporting pieces such as Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Toby Alderweireld, and Dele Alli.
However, I will also say that firing Pochettino at this time was a difficult call, but the right one by Tottenham's front office. This is because Pochettino had seemed to have reached his limit; he had extracted everything he possibly could have out of this Tottenham team. If Tottenham were to reach the next level and win the Premier League or even Champions League any time soon, a change had to be made; one must keep in mind that Tottenham's run to last season's Champions League final was a genuine underdog story and wholly unexpected. Thus, it would have been unlikely to be repeated with Pochettino at the helm.
That said, I do not believe Pochettino will be out of a job for long; his time at Tottenham showed that he is an excellent option for any team which would like to turn an average team into a good team. However, he just isn't cut out to turn a good team into a great team. That's not necessarily a major knock on him - there are many coaches who have made solid coaching careers out of improving otherwise average teams. However, now that he has elevated Tottenham beyond that level, the expectations around the team have changed and he simply isn't the coach who could be the one to make Tottenham one of the football world's elite.
Many Tottenham fans have expressed apprehension over the hiring of Mourinho. This is understandable in light of his most recent coaching stint: a tumultous tenure spanning two-and-a-half years at Manchester United. However, if there was ever a coach who knows what it takes to win and how to turn a team which is merely a good team into one of the world's best football teams, it is Mourinho. At almost every club he has coached, he has led the club to overachievement; one could even argue that his Manchester United team, despite the circumstances of his departure, outperformed expectations by winning a Carabao Cup and a Europa League while also finishing second in the league in spite of their relatively limited financial capabilities when compared to those of many other teams.
It cannot be denied that Pochettino has laid the foundations for the future success of Tottenham Hotspur. That said, the time was right for the baton to be passed; nevertheless, any success experienced by Mourinho or any other Tottenham coach in the near future will have largely been derived from Pochettino's efforts to being Tottenham to the level at which they currently are. However, sometimes risks have to be taken; in this case, the only way for Tottenham to become a perennial title contender in the league and in Europe was by moving on from the former Espanyol and Southampton coach.
Tottenham have not won the league since 1961 and have never won the Champions League. This is a club and a fanbase which is desperate for silverware. Although Tottenham fans will look back on the Pochettino years with many fond memories, in due time many of these fans will come to realize that he would never have been the one who would have led Tottenham to have broken either of these droughts.
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