You can tell by the way he complains so bitterly that Mauricio Pochettino attaches a great deal of importance to his presence in the dugout.
Never mind the £10,000 fine dished out by the FA for his argument with referee Mike Dean at the end of the Burnley game. That appears insignificant compared to the other punishment.
Tottenham’s manager clearly feels his two-game touchline ban constitutes a big disadvantage for the upcoming matches at Southampton and Liverpool, that the team will suffer without his input.
Actually, it would be interesting to know if his players feel the same. Will they miss their boss shouting instructions? Will his absence have a negative effect on their own performances?
I only ask because during my time at Arsenal we didn’t mind at all when George Graham chose to sit in the directors’ box for the first half. While he saw it as a chance to get a clear picture of the contest, we regarded it as 45 welcome minutes free of rollickings. Those only started once he’d come pitchside after half-time.
But you don’t see that anymore — managers watching from the posh seats. They all like to be close to the action, fully involved, directing proceedings from that technical area.
And there is a school of thought that maintains the modern player needs such guidance, that they can’t work things out for themselves during the heat of battle like their predecessors did. I think there’s some substance to that argument, too.
It isn’t often, for example, that you see the captain make a tactical adjustment off his own bat. These days, that responsibility rests with the manager and the manager alone.
On Sunday, though, Pochettino’s trusty assistants, Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and Toni Jimenez will have to step forward.
Since not many coaching teams are as close as this group, both professionally and personally, they will instinctively know what their friend is thinking up in the stand.
But will that be enough? Only time will tell.
