Many people are looking at Tottenham’s results this season and saying something has to change if they are to return to the level that took them to second place in the Premier League in 2017 and the Champions League final just a few months ago. I think those people are several months too late: the results that should have prompted the soul-searching and the desire for renewal happened a while ago. The writing was on the wall after their defeat by Liverpool in Madrid, and what we are seeing is confirmation that the warning signs were missed – or deliberately ignored.
Mauricio Pochettino now finds his position as manager under threat but he is not the one who should be questioned. This run of results has made people realise, once again, that Spurs would have been better off making significant changes in the summer, and it seems bizarre to blame the one person who was publicly demanding precisely that for much of last season.
Related: Has Pochettino’s dinner date with Levy eased the Tottenham tensions? | David Hytner
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