Made Big Because Of Pochettino, Staring Highly With Mourinho

Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino (Twitter @OptaJoe)

JAKARTA - Tottenham Hotspur is arguably not a big team. Since participating in the Premier League era in the 1992-1993 season, the team nicknamed The Lilywhites has more often been entrenched in the mid-table than in the European zone, let alone champions. The only coach who was able to bring the Spurs to the top is Mauricio Pochettino. The coach who was fired by the club last night, Tuesday, November 19.

From the 1992-1993 season to 2002-2003, 7th is the best place the Spurs have ever tasted. Stars like Jürgen Klinsmann, Teddy Sheringham, David Ginola, Steffen Iversen, Sergei Rebrov, and Gustavo Poyet were unable to fly the team they were defending.

The coaches like Osvaldo Ardiles, Steve Perryman, Gerry Francis, Chris Hughton, Christian Gross, George Graham, David Pleat, and Glenn Hoddle also couldn't do much. Spurs' best European participation was only in the Intertoto Cup (1995-1996) and the second round of the UEFA Cup (1999-2000).

Era changed. The team, which was founded in 1882, has increasingly qualified for Europe and was even able to participate in the Champions League for the first time in the 2010-2011 season. Unfortunately, reinforced by Dutch star Rafael van der Vaart and headed by coach Harry Redknapp from 2010-2011, this club was only able to reach the quarter-finals before being defeated by Real Madrid.

Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood then took turns coaching The Lilywhites, respectively in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons. But both of them were only able to bring the club to the Europa League zone by occupying the 6th and 5th positions respectively.

Under Pochettino's leadership from the 2014-2015 season, Spurs have often participated in the Champions League. The former Espanyol and Southampton coach brought the Spurs to the top four for four consecutive seasons, namely positions 3, 2, 3 and 4.

In the 2017-2018 season, Pochettino made a miracle in the Champions League when he led his team to slaughter Real Madrid 3-1 in London in the group stage while setting an unbeaten record with five wins and a draw. However, in the last 16 they had to admit Juventus' superiority.

In the following season, Pochettino again made the world of football stunned. Despite being defeated by Barcelona and Inter Milan in the group phase, Spurs qualified for the knockout stage as runner-up (8 points) behind Barcelona (12 points). In this round, they beat Manchester City and Ajax to advance to the top party before being beaten by Liverpool 2-0.

However, Spurs' poor domestic performance for almost all of 2019 made the club officials stifled. Since winning 3-1 at Leicester in February, they have won only six of 24 games. Currently, Harry Kane et al have even fallen into 14th place in the Premier League standings and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup.

Club statement

- Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 19, 2019

Pochettino must accept the fact, his honeymoon with Tottenham is over. He was fired by the club through an official statement filed by the club's CEO Daniel Levy. However, this decision caused reactions from various parties, one of which was Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.

According to Carragher, Pochettino deserved a chance until the end of the season and did not deserve this kind of disrespect. Yes, even though he never contributed a single title for the Spurs, the Argentine coach is still the best this club has ever had.

The rice has become porridge. Tottenham must look ahead and find a new coach. But, as defender Toby Alderweireld has pointed out, the club must return to recruiting big names as soon as possible if they want to return to their ranks.

"It's great news, I heard it after the game. It's part of football, but it's never nice to see your manager leave," the defender told Sky Sports, after Belgium's 6-1 win over Cyprus. "I didn't know this was going to happen, not at all, so it was a surprise for me too. It took a few days to receive it."

The former Ajax defender added that Tottenham have made a decision and whoever has to accept and try to change the situation as quickly as possible. The whole team came together and achieved great things, so they have to thank Pochettino for taking the club to the next level.

"This is the first time in my career there has been a managerial change, it's strange but I can't say how it feels. We just have to try hard, stay together and change as quickly as possible together. Spurs are a big club, so I know there will be a big manager for us. "Hopefully we know (who is Pochettino's replacement) as soon as possible," concluded Alderweireld.

Tottenham Appoints Jose Mourinho to Replace Pocchetino

The prayer of the Belgian defender was answered. Less than 12 hours after Pochettino's dismissal, Wednesday, November 20, Tottenham officially signed Jose Mourinho as Pochettino's replacement. In his official statement, CEO Daniel Levy said, The Special One will lead the Spurs until the end of the 2022-2023 season.

“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football. He has a lot of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. He has won multiple awards at every club he coaches. We believe he will bring energy and confidence to the dressing room, "Levy was quoted as saying on the club's official website, tottenhamhotspurs.com.

Speaking about his appointment, Jose said: “I am delighted to join a Club with such an incredible heritage and passionate supporters. The quality in the squad and academy makes me happy. It is working with these players that has caught my interest. "

Mourinho is one of the most successful managers in the world who has won 25 major trophies. He is best known for his tactical skills and his performances at FC Porto, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

The Portuguese man has won domestic titles in four different countries (Portugal, England, Italy and Spain) and is one of only three managers to have won the Champions League twice with two different clubs, FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010. He is also a champion. Premier League three times with Chelsea (2005, 2006, 2015).

The biggest question is, can Mourinho bring Tottenham back to the domestic league and fly the team even higher in the Champions League?

Club statement

- Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 20, 2019