Back page Champions League football has been on the lips of most football fans in recent weeks and why wouldn’t it be? The competition has thrown up two of the most incredible semi-final comebacks in… well, ever.
Two days of epic action will now culminate in a final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur after their rousing comebacks against Barcelona and Ajax respectively.
As unfathomable as these games were to fully comprehend, there is a major talking point that is somewhat being lost under the praise for a resilient Spurs side who battled back so bravely.
All eyes may have been on the performances of Dele Alli and Lucas Moura who struck three times to confirm an all English final however, nobody seems to be talking about Mauricio Pochettino’s comments pre and post game.
Winning the Champions League it would be fantastic no?. Close the five year chapter and go home.
These are the words the Spurs boss mentioned in his pre-match press conference and of course, it’s easy to say such things when his side was already 1-0 down and yet to complete the second leg.
Fast forward to the final whistle on Wednesday night and a visibly tearful Pochettino couldn’t quite believe what he had just witnessed and dedicated the win to his family and thanked football repeatedly in an emotionally charged post match interview.
Once the chaos of the celebrations died down, talk of Pochettino’s exit arose again in the post match press conference.
A journalist present in the room pressed the 47-year-old Argentine on his comments made not one day earlier with regards to his potential exit from the North London club.
I go home. What more do I have to say. I’m going to leave if they win or, if I lose, maybe then too.
Of course, it is important to remember that when Pochettino arrived to England, he used a translator and has since gotten a good grasp of the English language.
Is this sarcasm or a joke that is being lost in translation somewhat? Or, is he set to leave London and pursue a new job elsewhere?
There’s certainly interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and no doubt Manchester United will be keeping a watchful eye if things start falling apart quickly next season.
Pochettino’s coaching abilities are clearly renowned and having not been given the funds to splash on new players, would he rather go to a club that will spend cash on a regular basis or begin a new long term project with another similar outfit?
The answer is probably somewhere in between however, it could very well be a tactical ploy in sending a public message to Spurs owner Daniel Levy to release more funds and build for the future to ensure the high standards they’ve set for themselves this season can be maintained.
With a top four finish in the bag at the end of the Premier League season, there will is very little pressure on Spurs and Pochettino as they look ahead to the 1st of June and a date with Liverpool.
Understandably Tottenham Hotspur fans are still buoyant about the fight back in Amsterdam given that it was the most “un-Spurs” performance they’ll have seen on such a huge stage.
With that in mind, will the man who masterminded their passage to the final and a top four finish be there to continue on the project or is there another suitor waiting to be passed the baton after all is said and done?
