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On this day in 2019, Tottenham fired their manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Less than half a year after leading Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final, the Argentinian coach made a sudden and surprising decision.
Pochettino had been leading for five and a half years, however, he faced consequences due to a weak beginning of the 2019-20 season.
He departed Tottenham in 14th place on the Premier League standings, having only secured three victories and a total of 14 points in their first 12 matches of the season.
“Unfortunately, the domestic outcomes towards the end of the previous season and the beginning of this season have been highly unsatisfactory,” stated chairman Daniel Levy.
“We were very hesitant to implement this alteration. The board has not made this decision lightly or hastily.”
In May 2014, Pochettino departed Southampton to become the manager of Tottenham Hotspur. During his first complete season, he guided the team to the finals of the League Cup, but unfortunately they were defeated by Chelsea.
In 2016, they were strong contenders for the title against Leicester but ultimately placed third. The next year, they were second place and in 2018, they finished in third again.
In 2019, they achieved a spot in the Champions League final after defeating Manchester City and Ajax in the elimination rounds. However, they ultimately lost to Liverpool in the final match in Madrid.
In the end, Pochettino’s downfall was due to the fact that his team only managed to win three out of their last 12 Premier League games in that season.
During his tenure, the team also relocated from their previous home at White Hart Lane to a new stadium on the same grounds. As a result, their home games were temporarily held at Wembley for a period of 18 months.
The Spurs quickly found a replacement for him, hiring Jose Mourinho as his successor the very next day.
Pochettino reentered the sport as the manager of Paris St Germain in January 2021. After departing from the French club after 18 months, he assumed the role of manager at Chelsea this summer.
Source: independent.co.uk
