Pochettino’s Tottenham return comes at a bad time for Chelsea

LONDON — Of all of the methods wherein Mauricio Pochettino may have returned to Tottenham Hotspur, few would have predicted the circumstances that led to Monday night time’s reunion.

Pochettino, the person who took Spurs to the brink of glory at house and overseas, the person nonetheless with a robust connection to a number of gamers and employees at the membership at the moment, and the person many supporters wished again within the dugout as lately as this summer time, will as an alternative come again because the troubled head coach of Chelsea, certainly one of their bitterest London rivals.

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Tottenham followers usually enjoy any Chelsea misfortune. They nonetheless will, in fact, on Monday, however Pochettino’s presence within the opposing dugout might immediate a momentary pause for thought. The 51-year-old was sacked by Tottenham in November 2019, 171 days after their first-ever Champions League ultimate resulted in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Chairman Daniel Levy’s accompanying assertion spoke of his “extreme reluctance” to take away the Argentine from his publish after five-and-a-half years wherein the membership grew to become top-four regulars and virtually received the Premier League title in 2017.

That incapability to take the ultimate step, coupled with an alarming hunch in type which left Spurs 14th within the Premier League, prompted Levy to interchange Pochettino with two people he felt had been confirmed winners in Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, both facet of an ill-fated temporary dalliance with Nuno Espirito Santo.

However, as an alternative of taking the ultimate quick step to silverware, Spurs slipped again into mediocrity throughout a four-year spell the place Pochettino’s affect continued to forged a shadow over the membership.

When Spurs exited the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage to AC Milan in March following one other insipid show, Pochettino was out of labor having left Paris Saint-Germain the earlier July. Tottenham followers sang Pochettino’s title loud and clear that night time in a direct message to Levy that the soul of their membership had been misplaced and just one man may revive it.

And so when those self same supporters chanted “We’ve got our Tottenham back” throughout Ange Postecoglou’s second recreation in cost, they had been recalling the halcyon days of Pochettino’s tenure, combined because it was with a mix of exhilarating and successful soccer. This is a level not misplaced on Postecoglou himself.

Speaking on Thursday, the Australian mentioned: “His work is unquestioned. Everyone I speak to around here, there are still people who worked with him, they can’t speak highly enough of him as a person, as a manager. I doubt there would be anything but respect for Mauricio from anyone at this football club — supporters or people associated with it.

“That does not imply he’ll get a guard of honour on Monday night time as a result of we wish to win. And I do not assume he would count on that. But his tenure and affect right here is plain and can stand the check of time that each time individuals consider Mauricio and his time as Spurs supervisor, will solely look upon it with respect and fondness.”

Pochettino was unsure of the reception he would get but insisted on Friday that nothing could sour his memories of Tottenham.

“I’m not going to say something at the second as a result of till Monday we can not guess,” he said. “The most vital is individuals know we can not neglect what we lived collectively. Amazing reminiscences after which I’m going to respect the individuals, how they’ll specific. It will not change my feelings, my view, my emotions about a membership the place we spent an unbelievable journey.

“Coming back after four years to a place we have amazing memories and create amazing memories together, I think it is special. I cannot lie.”

The timing of his first look again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — which, by the way, Pochettino helped offset the event of by guiding the crew so successfully by way of an virtually two-season use of Wembley as their momentary house — is especially awkward given the job Postecoglou has achieved in the identical timeframe as his rival.

Both males began their present posts on July 1. Postecoglou had to deal with the lack of talismanic striker Harry Kane, a saga which dragged on by way of the whole lot of preseason earlier than he left for a €100m transfer to Bayern Munich. But privately, the Australian admitted defeat early on in staving off Bayern’s advances, permitting him to plan for life after Kane.

Spurs have exceeded all expectations with out Kane — the membership’s all-time report purpose scorer — in topping the Premier League after 10 video games.

Son Heung-Min has changed his partnership with Kane by hanging up an instantaneous understanding with James Maddison, a summer time acquisition from Leicester City, whereas Postecoglou has rescued the stalling careers of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr in a new-look midfield. Right-back Destiny Udogie has excelled after spending final season on mortgage at Udinese whereas one other new boy, Micky van de Ven, has appeared the form of commanding centre-back Tottenham have lacked for years.

These are nonetheless formative days within the season however Spurs instantly resemble the form of animal that would gatecrash what many anticipated could be a two-horse race between Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.

By distinction, throughout London sits the camel, fabled as “a horse designed by a committee.” Sources have advised ESPN that Postecoglou took a agency hand in Tottenham’s participant recruitment, permitting a readability of thought that has seemingly aided their switch enterprise. Pochettino has steadily instructed there have been selections taken on gamers previous to his arrival at Chelsea — Romelu Lukaku being a high-profile and apparent instance — and though he was positively consulted on each ins and outs, the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital mannequin of signing younger gamers on long-term contracts pre-dates him.

The knock-on impact of spending such cash on potential, with offers working to the top of the last decade, is it heightens the stress on the supervisor as a result of he’s much more clearly probably the most dispensable aspect if issues go improper.

And issues aren’t precisely going to plan. Chelsea have proven flashes of potential — there appears to be real promise in a midfield three of Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Conor Gallagher, whereas Mykhailo Mudryk is stirring into life. But Chelsea will quickly attain a level the place they’ll begin to moderately count on extra from the £1 billion spent by Boehly and Clearlake since their takeover in May 2022.

“We are in a different project to Tottenham,” mentioned Pochettino. “All the history of Chelsea is to win big things. Maybe Chelsea are now with Manchester United and Liverpool are the biggest club in England. I think Chelsea in the last 15 years won too many titles, a lot of titles, now we are in a different situation where we are building something for the future.

“Maybe we wrestle a little bit at first, due to particulars we aren’t managing effectively. That is why we lose too many factors, perhaps we deserve extra however as a result of we’re so younger as a crew, perhaps we aren’t managing the state of affairs.

“Ange and the other coaches, they are doing a fantastic job [at Tottenham]. Very good players, very good team and you can feel they can be a contender. It is early in the season but they are showing the quality to be a contender.”

One key distinction between Postecoglou and Pochettino of their working circumstances comes in accidents. Six gamers have began all 10 of Tottenham’s Premier League video games: Guglielmo Vicario, Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Maddison, Son, and Dejan Kulusevski. Four extra have began 9.

Chelsea have been capable of rely on Robert Sánchez, Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, and Gallagher to begin all 10 league matches however the damage listing has at all times been longer with Christopher Nkunku sidelined in preseason and Romeo Lavia but to kick a ball following a £58m transfer from Southampton in mid-August.

Wesley Fofana will miss the vast majority of the season following knee surgical procedure, new captain Reece James hasn’t began a league recreation for the reason that opening weekend of the season whereas Ben Chilwell is in Los Angeles recovering from a hamstring drawback. Nkunku’s absence has compounded the shortage of firepower in Chelsea’s squad, regardless of their lavish rebuild.

In his absence, Pochettino, rightly, has pointed to a catalogue of missed probabilities in video games. Despite Spurs scoring 9 objectives extra (22 vs. 13), Chelsea even have a larger anticipated objectives determine to this point: 18.54 to Tottenham’s 17.78.

But bear in mind: it was Spurs who had been alleged to wrestle for objectives this season with out Kane, not the membership spending eyewatering sums in overhauling their squad.

The sheer scale of change at Stamford Bridge was at all times going to require persistence from the homeowners, however the rapid affect Postecoglou has made makes for an uncomfortable distinction to Pochettino, who has already overseen 4 league defeats. A fifth at his outdated house would increase additional questions over the life like limits of Chelsea’s aspirations this season.

A well-known floor will really feel like an excellent lonelier place for Pochettino irrespective of the result given his right-hand man, assistant coach Jesus Perez, is banned after encroaching into the opposition’s technical space throughout final weekend’s 2-0 house defeat to Brentford.

If something, it’d add to the surreal really feel for Pochettino, who in attempting to beat Spurs on Monday can be difficult the notion they’ve left him behind as soon as and for all.