Spurs boss was a hothead when it came to crunch time in Tottenham’s title campaign
The White Hart Lane manager could not keep his cool when it mattered the most in this season's remarkable title race
Tottenham’s manager, for all his qualities, could not keep his cool in the final stretch of the season.
Everybody’s favourite up-and- coming coach turned into a hothead.
He played his part in Tottenham’s meltdown, losing emotional control at a crucial stage of the season.
It played into Leicester’s hands because Claudio Ranieri, with years of experience coaching top-four teams, had ice in his veins.
On Sunday, after Spurs were mauled 5-1 at Newcastle, Pochettino lost his composure again.
He admitted: “First of all I would like to apologise to our fans, our team was terrible for them.
“To our families too, I apologise, it’s difficult to go back to see your kids, your wife, your girlfriends, your dad — this wasn’t the team that played all season.
“It’s my worst day as a manager. Not just in England, in Spain, too.”
Everybody, it seemed, was due an apology after Spurs slipped up and allowed Arsenal to finish above them for the 21st season in a row.
It was pretty strong stuff considering they had just finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League.
They are usually there or thereabouts but Poch is the first manager since Harry Redknapp to take Spurs into the Champions League.
Irrespective of their failure to win any of their final four games, he has built some solid foundations.
By Tottenham’s standards, it has been a hugely successful season.
Poch is part of that but he strayed dangerously close to the edge in the final weeks.
With the title at stake, the heat was on by the time they got to Liverpool on April 2.
Everybody loses it from time to time, but it became a running theme as they closed in on their first league title since 1961.
The warning signs were there when Poch needlessly punched the turf in frustration after a decent 1-1 draw at Anfield.
When they were 2-0 up at Stoke just over two weeks later he was at it again when Dele Alli hit the post after rounding Shay Given.
It was a massive over-reaction. They went on to win 4-0.
By the time they got to Chelsea on May 2, he was in overdrive when he addressed Tottenham’s players in the dressing room.
Poch got himself all worked up, far too animated, when he told his players not to be bullied by the champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
That night he blew it — and not just the title.
The anxiety and stress transmitted itself to the players out on the pitch when he raced on to separate Danny Rose and Willian.
Poch lost his discipline, with the players feeding off the negative energy from their manager.
To his credit, Poch knows he was responsible for the failure to keep their composure during the Battle of the Bridge. It transmitted itself on to the pitch, leading to nine bookings and a fine of £225,000 from the FA for failing to control their players.
Poch is not the kind of guy to be pushed around but there are lessons to be learned after his first serious title challenge as a manager.
Sunday’s outburst at St James’ Park strayed dangerously close to Andre Villas-Boas territory.
That, as anyone at Spurs will confirm, is not a good place to be.
Beware Ozil and Alexis
ARSENE WENGER is increasingly wary of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez because of their influence at boardroom level.
The pair have realised just how powerful they are at Arsenal after the club opened talks over new deals.
Ozil and Sanchez want assurances Wenger will spend big in the summer to make sure they are a genuine threat next season.
It is a familiar story at the Emirates but their pedigree means they have considerable clout around the place.
Wenger remains determined to build a title-winning team before he leaves Arsenal — but Ozil and Sanchez need some convincing.
LIVERPOOL’S feisty technical director Michael Edwards took defeat in the Europa League final as badly as the players.
Before his surprise promotion last August, Edwards was part of the infamous transfer committee which spent £120million on eight signings in the summer of 2014.
Left-back Alberto Moreno was one of the players signed off on Edwards’ watch, which will go some way to explaining why the Liverpool exec was so aggressive after the game.
Judging by Moreno’s display in Basel, it’s little wonder Jurgen Klopp demands the final say on signings.
FOR all the excitement over Rafa Benitez, Newcastle were closer to safety on the day he arrived at St James’ Park than the day they went down.
The Toon were one point behind Sunderland when Benitez replaced Steve McClaren on March 11.
By the time Sunderland secured top-flight football on May 11 after a 3-0 win against Everton, the gap had increased to four.
The job, as Benitez discovered, is bigger than he thought.
MICHAEL CARRICK is still in limbo but Manchester United’s next move will be to offer him reduced terms with big appearance bonuses.
Carrick, 34, who has been at Old Trafford for ten years, has been treated abysmally over the last few months.
He is expected to start Saturday’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace but after that he has a big call to make.
THERE will be a nice touch on Saturday at Wembley when Steve Coppell and Sir Alex Ferguson walk out with the FA Cup.
It will be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the pair who managed Crystal Palace and Manchester United in the 1990 final.
Palace lost the replay 1-0 but this time Coppell — who sat with their fans for the semi-final win over Watford — is convinced they will gain revenge.