After Tottenham Hotspur followed up a goalless draw with Burnley with a defeat to lowly Aston Villa, their hopes of a top four finish are, barring a miracle, over. Now seven points behind Manchester City in fourth with only six games to go, it appears once again, the best the North London club can hope for is a Europa League place.

After their painful defeat in the Capital One Cup Final and their embarrassing defeat to Leicester in the early stages of the FA Cup, Spurs have very little to play for and are in danger of going backwards from now till May. So, has Pochettino really met the expectations that would have been set of him?

Following his stellar season on the South Coast at Southampton last year, the Argentinian was bought in to build on the solid foundation that Tim Sherwood had left.  Achieving 69 points, although well short of the top four places was a good return for what proved to be a turbulent season at The Lane. As well as this Sherwood helped to establish several young players into the squad, including a certain Harry Kane.

Pochettino’s insistence on using Kane as sparingly as he did in the early parts of the season now looks a baffling decision. Without the Englishman’s involvement this season there is a serious assumption to be made that the manager may no longer be in a job. At times he has single-handedly kept Spurs’ season afloat and his inclusion was more by chance than a masterstroke, only a combination of injuries and poor form meant Kane was ever given a chance, in that respect Pochettino can count himself very lucky.

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In defence of the man who now sits in the dugout at White Hart Lane, this season compared to recent ones has been a much quieter in the transfer market, there have been few high profile signings, due to the lavish spending of previous regimes it has certainly been a case of evolution rather than revolution in North London. But nearly all of his signings have proven to be underwhelming; Fazio who was acquired for a reported eight million, seems nowhere near the level that Spurs require. Benjamin Stambouli has been an average addition but has hardly justified his near five million transfer fee.

Pochettino’s influence can be seen in the fitness levels that his players seemed to be showing in the middle stages of the early season. The team went on a remarkable run of scoring late goals which gave credence to the emphasis the Argentinian places on fitness; but as the season has progressed his players have looked lethargic and tired, like the regime he has introduced is not one to deliver success for a whole campaign.

The manager has certainly done enough in his first season to deserve another transfer window at the club, another chance to build his own squad with his own players. But a debut season that is proving to be decidedly underwhelming does certainly not give him the freedom of North London.

Compared to what fans, board and manager alike this season has failed to reach the heights they would have hoped under the former Southampton manager. But he still has time to change his fortunes and this coming summer is without doubt his most important one in England to date.

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