There is no denying that Tottenham Hotspur are currently a very good team. From the goalkeeper to the defence, the midfield and up front, the squad oozes quality. But my concern is this: if their manager Mauricio Pochettino was to leave in the summer, where would that leave the team? And crucially, will they fall apart?
Under Terry and Harry
There can be denying that this Spurs side is probably the best Spurs team that there has ever been. In addition, in the past twenty-five years it could easily be argued that Tottenham have had three good managers, and teams; Terry Venables, Harry Redknapp and now Pochettino.
One must not forget the immense work done by the first two. Under Venables his team, as reported in the Guardian newspaper, did finish third in the First Division in 1990, and in 1991 did manage to win the FA Cup. Furthermore, the team did have some very good players. In addition to Gary Lineker, the North London side boasted the genius talent of a certain Paul Gascoigne. It is clear that Venables was a success. This could also be said of Spurs under Harry Redknapp. They too had good players such as Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, as stated on the Fotmob website. And they did achieve moderate success, most notably finishing in the top four in 2010 and securing Champions League football, as reported in the Telegraph newspaper.
Different this time
But despite what could be deemed as successful for some, Pochettino has taken Tottenham to another level. Fourth or third would, I believe, be deemed a disappointment for the current team. Last season they pushed Leicester all the way and this season they are leading the chasing pack. I appreciate that they still have not won anything and have come second at best in the past couple of seasons but it feels different now.
Under Terry Venables, although Spurs did finish third in 1990, a year later they finished 10th. Even under Harry, they never really made themselves known as championship candidates. But they do here. They have quality players in Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and many more. The team is littered with stars, but the number one man at the club is their manager, Pochettino.
It is him who has taken this team to where they are. He is undoubtedly a phenomenal manager
The biggest concern
However, although it is true that Spurs are on the cusp of something very special, if the sharks in Spain come calling, and Pochettino did decide to leave, where would it leave Tottenham? It cannot be said that they are a Manchester United or a Liverpool. They have not had that period of sustained dominance and success like the two other teams mentioned have. And that worries me. If Pochettino goes, will the likes of Kane and Alli want to remain at the club? I doubt it, mainly because they just adore their manager. Will they fall apart? They may well do and the introduction of another top class manager may still not do the trick.
For the moment, things are rosy for Spurs. But there are concerns in the long term of how they will cope without their mercurial manager.