Why Spurs sacking could make Mauricio Pochettino an even better manager

Mauricio Pochettino’s firing came as a surprise, but if he learns the right lessons from his time at Tottenham he could still become an even greater manager.

After a whirlwind 24 hours in North London, Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur and replaced by Jose Mourinho.

Hands up if you saw that one coming. Nobody? No? Don’t blame you.

It still seems just mere moments since Lucas Moura inspired Spurs to that remarkable comeback win over Ajax to seal their place in a first-ever Champions League final.

However, just 196 days after that outpouring of emotion in Amsterdam, Pochettino has cleared his office, Champions League runners-up medal and all, to make room for Mourinho.

The protestations of Spurs fans are numerous, loud and largely understandable. On a shoestring budget – when compared with their fellow “Big Six” rivals – Pochettino managed to turn the Lilywhites from Europa League casuals to European staples and title challengers, while also playing a huge role in cultivating a young, talented and exciting Spurs side, nurturing talents such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks to name a few.

All that will now be passed down to Mourinho, but while the sacking of Pochettino is still incredibly raw, it might just present him with the perfect opportunity to learn some valuable managerial lessons. What seems like just another heartless act in the basket case that is modern football could turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to Pochettino’s post-playing career.

“The person that said winning isn’t everything, never won anything.”

It was Spurs’ alarmingly poor league form at the end of last season and the start of this season which cost Pochettino his job – Tottenham have won just four of their 17 games since sneaking past Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals back in April.

But were Spurs really in full-blown crisis mode? It’s hard to throw your weight behind that notion, especially considering the long-awaited summer spending on the likes of Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso was fundamentally flawed, with both arriving injured and barely featuring so far.

But what did seriously count against Pochettino when Daniel Levy was holding his axe, contemplating the swing, was the lack of silverware he’s brought to Tottenham during his time with the club.

This is something which has haunted Pochettino throughout his time in the dugout, but in some twisted fashion his Spurs exit could break the shackles and forge the path via which he can truly become known as an elite manager.

Pochettino has so far presided over 514 games as a manager with Espanyol, Southampton and Tottenham, and despite his near-miss in Madrid and a 2014-15 League Cup final appearance, he doesn’t have a single trophy to show for it.

In fact, he openly discredited the notion of needing a trophy back in January after his side were dumped out of the FA Cup against Crystal Palace.

“Again, we’re going to have the debate whether a trophy will take the club to the next level. I don’t agree with it,” he said. “It only builds your ego. The most important thing for Tottenham right now is to always be in the top four.”

He went on to suggest that winning one of the domestic cups in England comes down to “luck.” Try telling that to Pep Guardiola – Man City have been ruthlessly dominant on domestic shores over the past two seasons, bringing home five of the last six available major English trophies.

During City’s FA Cup run last season, we saw the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne start against Rotherham and the likes of David Silva and Fernandinho start away at Newport County. In the League Cup, we saw Gabriel Jesus score four goals against Burton Albion.

Yes, some of the opposition City faced was favorable, but you make your own luck. Guardiola’s men rightly deserved to lift the trophies they did, and pick up the 198 points they did over the past two seasons, because the Spaniard wins indiscriminately and gives his side the best possible chance to do so. His total belief filters down to his players and more often than not, they feel and look invincible.

In the words of USWNT legend Mia Hamm: “The person that said winning isn’t everything, never won anything.”

The likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are being touted as destinations for Pochettino’s next job, while Manchester United are known to be long-time admirers. Luckily for him, at just 47 and with an impressive job done at Spurs overall, Pochettino still has a gleaming reputation. There will be a next job.

However, what sets the Real Madrids and Bayern Munichs of this world apart from the likes of Spurs is their unrelenting will to win any and every trophy they can get their hands on – the two aforementioned clubs have more Champions League crowns in their cabinets combined (18) than Spurs have major trophies in total (17) and that’s without even mentioning their ridiculous domestic hauls.

The “take it or leave it” attitude of relinquishing a cup to help league position or taking a pass in one game to be fresh for another simply won’t hold up at these super clubs.

All in all, Pochettino rightly leaves Spurs with a massively enhanced reputation and his head held high. But there will be a slight hint of regret that he didn’t take a winner’s medal with him when he cleared his desk on Tuesday and he does have some serious lessons to learn in order to reach the next level.

If he’s to survive at one of the European superpowers bound to come calling for him, and truly elevate himself to the standard that most Spurs fans already regard him in, the Argentine must embrace that win at all costs mentality which has served the likes of Guardiola, as well as his replacement at Spurs, so well over the years.

It seems cruel now, but Pochettino’s sacking might just be the making of one of the greatest managers of the modern era.