Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Success Shows Chelsea Patience May Not Be Needed

Mauricio Pochettino has asked Chelsea’s owners and supporters to ‘give me time’ as he tries to revive fortunes at Stamford Bridge, but events at a club close by, and close to the Argentine’s heart, show breathing fresh life into a listless operation need not require such patience.

Like Chelsea, Tottenham finished last season as a zombie operation, players sleepwalking towards their summer holidays (and no doubt checking in with their agents) under the management of a caretaker boss with no stake in their future. Pochettino was even linked with a glorious return to the team he managed with such distinction from 2014 to 2019 – it is certainly what many Spurs fans wanted.

But, as it has for so many players over the past 18 months, the riches and promises of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital persuaded the former Espanyol and Southampton boss that west London was the place to resume his love affair with the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou’s Immediate Impact at Tottenham

Tottenham, instead, turned their attentions to Ange Postecoglou – a coach completely untested in England and, depending on your views on the Australian, Japanese and Scottish domestic scenes, completed untested at elite level altogether – as they tried to piece together a bright, enterprising future after the futility of the Mourinho, Espirito Santo and Conte years.

And while sifting through the surplus of players at Chelsea in search of a team and an identity is clearly no easy task, it’s hard to argue Pochettino has been confronted by anything like the headache Postecoglou faced when Harry Kane was sold on the eve of the new season.

And yet, it is Tottenham who go into the weekend unbeaten and energised, in love with their new manager and the sense of optimism and ambition he has brought to the Seven Sisters Road, while Chelsea continue to wallow in a sea of mediocrity and underachievement, their one win from six league games encapsulating the unshakeable lethargy which seems to permeate their every move.

Postecoglou’s Incredible Start May Prove Impossible To Sustain

Postecoglou’s incredible start may prove impossible to sustain, not so much made of fool’s gold as prone to rust if the Australian’s transformative work on the training pitch is not matched by Daniel Levy in the transfer market. After all, as Pochettino knows better than most, Spurs have been here before.

And at Manchester United Erik ten Hag offers a real-time example of how a promising start to a managerial reign can quickly begin to unravel. Equally, no one would be less surprised than me if Chelsea were to win their next trophy before Spurs. That kind of DNA is hard to change.

Tottenham’s Stark Re-invention From Reactive Afterthought To Swashbuckling Entertainers

But, for now, Tottenham’s stark reinvention from reactive afterthought to swashbuckling entertainers with the courage to stare down Arsenal and emerge with their unbeaten Premier League record intact is making a mockery of any manager calling for patience in the long-term plan or dreaded ‘project’. While his old club are daring to do once again, Pochettino might want to choose his words more carefully.