Mauricio Pochettino concedes it can be difficult to fulfil long-term projects such as his vision for Tottenham Hotspur because of the instant demand for results but he is not worried by his future in the wake of recent Premier League dismissals.
The Argentinian was “shocked” and “saddened” to learn of José Mourinho’s dismissal from Chelsea and made a salient point by suggesting that a culture lacking in patience similar to Spain and Italy has taken hold here, with the roles reversing in those countries following a shift in financial power.
“Sometimes the patience in football is short,” Pochettino said. “Before there was a little more.
“Now it is more quick and can change tomorrow. Maybe it arrived late here but it has arrived. In Spain and Italy because there is less money now they have the mentality that was in England in the past. They don’t have money to make the decisions.
“It’s a rush and sometimes people need to be calm. This season has been crazy so far and before in England there has always been a difference in the manager having time to develop and create at clubs. Now it’s about winning and, if you don’t win tomorrow, you could be sacked. The problem is it is sometimes fair and sometimes not fair.”
Pochettino believes it is futile to worry about his own future, though. “I don’t stress about it,” he added. “I try to focus on the present. I am very positive and always believe we can do well.”Most weeks this season the Spurs manager has sent out of the division’s youngest starting XI and is certain his team can progress to win titles with time and patience.
They have been troubled by inconsistency at times, though – earning only two points from their past three games and losing to Newcastle after an off-colour second-half performance last Sunday in a game they were overwhelming favourites to win.
It is not lost on Pochettino that a tricky balancing act exists when trying to develop a long-term strategy while needing to produce good results consistently in the present.
“It’s not easy because sometimes you need bad results to improve. It’s difficult to be consistent when creating a project. Here we have the basis for sure to win some titles. We are sure because the basis is very strong. We have a young squad that will improve in the future. Sometimes we have bad days like Sunday but it’s important to analyse and understand the competition doesn’t wait for you.”
