The Case for Mauricio Pochettino Defying Real Madrid Interest to Stay at Tottenham
There have been plenty of rumors that Real Madrid are looking to replace current manager Zinedine Zidane in the summer. And it has been claimed that Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino would be Florentino Perez's ideal man to take over at the Bernabeu.
However, a move to Spain for the Spurs boss may not be the best idea.
The Argentine manager took over at Tottenham Hotspur in 2014 and since then he has been building a young team, fronted by academy graduate Harry Kane, in search of silverware.
Pochettino has taken Spurs from strength to strength, giving a chance to young prospects, signing players with potential and bringing out the best in the stars he inherited when he joined the North London club.
Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Dele Alli have showcased the young talent that England has. The signings of Toby Alderweireld, Victor Wanyama and Son Heung-Min have proved that you don't have to break transfer records to bring in talent. And the evolution of Danny Rose, Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen has demonstrated the potential that this Spurs team had in it even before Pochettino arrived. The young manager is behind all of this. He has built a team.
The former Argentine international has guided Spurs into the Champions League for last two seasons, something that the club had only managed once before his arrival. And in this current campaign his young side have shown that they can stand up against Europe's giants. A 3-1 dominating win over Real Madrid at Wembley in November, a definite statement from Pochettino's men.
This victory alone, raises questions why Pochettino would consider making the switch. Yes it was only one game and you may query whether Madrid were having an off-day, but they weren't. Real Madrid currently sit fourth in La Liga, they are not the team that won the Champions League last season.
There are rumors that Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, among others, could also be departing the club this summer with Zidane. Therefore, Pochettino would not be inheriting a side clearly better than Tottenham, he would be taking on a team that is currently dropping in form.
When the 45-year-old coach took over at White Hart Lane he had a challenge on his hands. But Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was willing to give his new employee time to build a team and support him in developing a trophy winning side. It is hard to believe that Pochettino would be given the same trust at Real Madrid. There is no doubt that Pochettino has the ability to manage a side like Madrid, but would he be given the time that he would need to imbed his philosophy into a side so used to winning silverware?
Speaking of the former defender's 'philosophy', Pochettino works in a certain way. As stated in the Independent, 'He places huge physical and tactical demands on his players, an approach that initially works best with younger more malleable players rather than a group of established megastars.'
Real Madrid's side may not be as willing, as Tottenham Hotspur's young side were, to adapt their training method's and buy into the Argentine's plan.
Pochettino is building something at Tottenham. The North London side have been in a title race for the past two campaigns. They recorded their highest league finish in 44 years. They went unbeaten at White Hart Lane last season. You can see the effect he is having on this team, but he is far from done. It feels like the best is yet to come. With a new 62,000 seater stadium on the way, young players yet to hit their prime, experienced internationals who have reached new heights and a bunch of players more hungry than ever to win a trophy, Pochettino surely would feel like he had left something unfinished.
