Tottenham Hotspur

Levy must address Poch concerns

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OPINION

Daniel Levy can’t sit idly by any longer.

If he does, he faces losing comfortably the best manager of his 17-year reign as Tottenham chairman.

Mauricio Pochettino has just about kept a public lid on his frustration this season, while making occasional dark mutterings about it being the toughest of his five seasons at the club.

But, behind the scenes, the Argentine is clearly simmering to boiling point and the two-week international recess is unlikely to have cooled things down.

League wins over struggling duo Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town papered over the cracks slightly before the international break.

But as any regular observer of Spurs this season will know, the team has been playing some pretty mediocre stuff and their fifth place in the league – just two points behind leading trio Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool – flatters them.

Pochettino will know this, as spelt out in an insightful column by Spanish journalist and broadcaster Guillem Balague, who wrote the manager’s autobiography Brave New World, which has an updated chapter this year.

“All in all, it could prove to be a long and arduous campaign for Spurs and a top-four finish will be nothing less than a miracle,” explained Balague recently to BBC Sport. “If I was Pochettino, I would be very frustrated with my current situation, having signed a new five-year contract in May.

“Any other manager would probably have left already, and I know there are other bosses out there who have asked Pochettino why he is still there.

“It feels this season, like no other before it, will be a reality check and tangible evidence of just how far above their weight this Tottenham side have punched up until now.”

“Presumably, that new contract he signed in May came on the back of certain assurances being made by the club. But from where I am looking, none have been forthcoming; nothing has happened.”

It does not take the detective skills of Miss Marple to deduce who the source of Balague’s insight might be.

This is explosive stuff. A bombshell, even.

The Spurs hierarchy would be foolish to dismiss it, or not to do anything about a team that is in stasis.

Levy may have his hands full delivering the new stadium that has clearly caused endless headaches behind the scene for himself and the board.

But it will be nothing compared to the crisis if Pochettino walks, which is clearly more likely than many would like to admit.

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