Changing of the guard: Pochettino sacked and replaced by Mourinho

Evan Wyatt, Staff Writer

On November 19, Tottenham Hotspurs released an official statement that they had parted ways with manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Within 12 hours, another official statement was released that Portuguese legend, Jose Mourinho, had been appointed as manager.

While many people doubted the Spurs would have the same manager by the end of the season, it came rather as a surprise that they parted ways at this time. Despite sitting 14th in the Premier League and in very poor form at the moment, to say Pochettino’s time with the Spurs has been a failure would be absolutely incorrect.

In the above graphic from The Athletic Poch led the Spurs to European football in all five of his full seasons at Tottenham and into the Champion’s League in four out of five seasons. He also led the Spurs to second place in 2017, seven points behind a very good Chelsea side. Of course, the Spur’s most notable achievement was reaching last season’s Champion’s League final in Madrid. Here, they lost 2-0 to Liverpool, but the achievement was their best in Poch’s reign. 

 The Spurs in their current form look a world away from the team that beat Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champion’s League and the team that came from behind in Amsterdam to book their ticket to Madrid. They haven’t won a game away in the Premier League since January. They sit 14th in the League right now, and they were humbled 7-2 by Bayern in the Champion’s League this year; however, they are still likely to qualify for the knockout rounds. 

Pochettino’s replacement is the legendary Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager has won just about everywhere he has gone, notably a treble with Inter in Serie A, the Champion’s League with Porto, and the Premier League with Chelsea. Mourinho’s style does differ from Pochettino’s though. Mourinho is famous for his tactical acumen, remarkable adaptability in in-game situations, and man management whereas Pochettino often plays a more attacking style but is just as good with man management.

Many Spurs fans and pundits are unsure if this was the correct move to be made by Spurs. Mourinho’s last two jobs at Chelsea and Manchester United most recently have ended poorly. He did win the league at Chelsea and won domestic silverware as well as the Europa League at United. 

Mourinho is a big financial investment as well; reports indicate he is making more money than any player at the club, but he brings over a decade of success and experience to the struggling Spurs. At this time, Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with the Bayern Munich job, the team he lost 7-2 against in London. Even if that job doesn’t pan out, it’s not likely he will be out of work long as he is held in high regard in Europe.