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Tottenham Hotspur face Liverpool in the Champions League final tonight.
After almost exactly five years at the club, Mauricio Pochettino will lead his side out into the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid as Spurs bid to win the competition for the first time in the history.
Should they win in Spain, they will win their first piece of silverware under the Argentine; they have not won a trophy since 2008, when Jonathan Woodgate’s face gave the club victory over Chelsea in the League Cup final.
It would, of course, be the icing on the cake. Pochettino has worked miracles in north London to the extent where there is a chant in his honour. Fans truly believe that he is magic.
And yet, such has been the scope of his achievements in north London, Pochettino doesn’t really need to win.
He has built the club in his own image and he has completely changed the perception of what Tottenham Hotspur stands for. An oft-repeated quote, originally from Roy Keane, claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson once gave a three-word team talk ahead of a meeting with Spurs: “Lads, it’s Tottenham”.
It was harsh then but it had a ring of truth. This was a Spurs side who had once gone 3-0 up against United and still conspired to lose 5-3. There have been so many notable examples of collapses – Andre Villas-Boas claiming Arsenal were in a “negative spiral” after a north London derby, only to see his side capitulate and finish behind the Gunners, Lasagna-gate, the “1-1 at Newcastle”, the list goes on and on and on.
But now, under Pochettino, this Tottenham side, the one featuring the world’s best striker and an attacking midfielder coveted by the very best clubs on the planet, is a completely different beast.
They finished fourth in the Premier League this season despite it perhaps being one of their worst seasons under the Argentine’s guidance in the top-flight and have reached the Champions League final. That bears repeating. After playing the likes of Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Premier League champions Manchester City and Ajax, Spurs have reached the Champions League final.
Pochettino cried after the semi-final, scarcely believing the scale of his squad’s achievement. If they win, it will perhaps be the greatest underdog story in the history of the competition. After all, they have not spent a penny since January 2018, when semi-final hat-trick hero Lucas Moura waltzed through the doors at Hotspur Way.
They have had to cope with their displacement from White Hart Lane, spending two years at the soulless corporate bowl that is Wembley and still finishing in the Champions League qualification places, while also thumping Real Madrid 3-1 on a famed glory, glory night.
It is perhaps the inverse of ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. This was a manager who was often called on to resign by frustrated fans, who wanted to see the club rise from finishing fourth to challenging for the Premier League. Pochettino has overseen such a transformation but they differ in the sense that Wenger kept winning things. He took the club to three FA Cup titles in four seasons prior to his departure, yet supporters celebrated his departure.
Pochettino doesn’t need the baubles or the honours. He has said himself that he feels trophies only serve to inflate one’s ego. Admittedly, that quote came after a particularly ignominious defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup but, still, the point stands.
Would Spurs fans, after all that Pochettino has achieved, trade it in for a single trophy?
Of course they wouldn’t.
He has emphasised the collective throughout his time at Spurs, helping stars blossom and giving the club a genuine identity.
They are now a team to be feared, a powerhouse both at home and abroad and they could well become European champions today.
Pochettino would deserve it, it would be the cherry on top of the cake following his incredible progress and the change he has overseen.
But, at the same time, he doesn’t need it; his legacy at Tottenham is secure. He is, without any shadow of a doubt, the best manager the club has had since the days of Bill Nicholson.
Validation through silverware is not necessary to substantiate his legacy.
