Palace throw further misery on Pochettino

For the first time during his spell as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, Mauricio Pochettino finds himself under severe pressure following the club’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the 4th round of the FA Cup.

Pochettino struggling for positivity

Following Spurs’ League Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea last Thursday, Pochettino saw his side’s most likely route to a trophy this season ripped away from them thanks to two first half goals. Misery was compounded with Kieran Trippier’s penalty miss, and with any hope of a Premier League title charge slipping further and further away, Spurs’ most viable path to lifting silverware this season looks to be the Champions League.

However, in their way of Europe’s most coveted prize stands Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund and a daunting away leg at the Westfalenstadion. A domestic trophy and a top-4 finish would have been seen by the majority of the Tottenham faithful as a succesful season, but yet again Spurs are staring down the barrel of another trophy-less season.

No need for signings?

Remarkably, despite their well publicised injury problems (which actually raises more questions into what constitutes an injury crisis, as Spurs currently only have two first team regulars out – Harry Kane and Dele Alli), it is claimed that Pochettino is adamant his side do not need to dip into the transfer market to help grow his squad, which would enable a more significant charge on the Champions League.

Yet, their squad’s vulnerability was felt wholeheartedly in the recent defeat to Palace, who also fielded a much changed side. Tottenham played without pace, intensity and drive as they succumbed to a lackluster defeat. To suggest that their current squad cannot be improved, even taking into consideration their current injuries to star players, suggests a sheer stubbornness and naivety of a manager who is yet to win a major trophy in his career.

Would the likes of Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola stand idly by and claim that the top-4 should be the club’s solo aim and not winning trophies. They’d be sacked within seconds if that was the case. In fact, why would you prioritise qualifying for a competition and then not put everything at your disposal into winning it – instead focusing on qualifying for it again for the following season.

As good as it will get?

This is the reason Pochettino suddenly finds himself under pressure. Spurs have improved greatly under his stewardship, and their rise to consistent top-4 challengers is commendable. But have they achieved all they will under Pochettino? Assuming they won’t win the Champions League, with current odds of 33/1 to lift the trophy, Pochettino is likely to see out his fifth season as Tottenham manager without a single trophy to his name. Perhaps, Spurs are looking at as far as they can go under Pochettino, and to really become title challengers, both domestically and in Europe, they need to move on from the Argentinian.

Featured Image Credit: “Mauricio Pochettino” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by mithcellsauvare