Richard Buxton: Real job is perfectly timed for Pochettino
His admission of 'worst feeling' since 2014 could tempt Perez to act
Mauricio Pochettino's current predicament mirrors Tottenham Hotspur's Wembley sojourn.
Fond memories have been replaced by purgatory for the highly rated Argentine coach as much as the Lilywhites' ongoing residency at England's national stadium.
Depending on which argument you consider, Pochettino has successfully laid foundations to either play the long game with Spurs or to leave on the best possible terms.
The consensus has been that he chose the former out of design rather than necessity, but yesterday morning's (Singapore time) 1-0 reversal against Manchester City suggests that, like Spurs' outstayed Wembley welcome, the novelty is finally beginning to wear off.
Dwindling attendances reflect current frustrations at the protracted return to their spiritual White Hart Lane home, which has since been pushed back until the start of 2019 at the earliest, and disillusionment at a slow start underpinned by an inactive transfer window.
A once burgeoning crop remains burnt out from their latter-stage World Cup exploits while a nomadic existence has been compounded by labouring on a playing surface decimated by the NFL's latest transatlantic exhibition just 24 hours before the visit of Pep Guardiola's side.
Pochettino appears as fatigued as his players and the temptation of a broader horizon may prove too great to resist.
He could conceivably have the pick of Europe's ultimate heavyweights, with Real Madrid and Manchester United both in dire need of salvation.
Any hopes of salvaging the current wreckage at Old Trafford, however, would ultimately prove unsuccessful.
That window of opportunity has long passed for the Red Devils and even a coach as optimistic as the 46-year-old faces a losing battle from the outset for daring to try.
The Bernabeu represents a more suitable fit for Pochettino.
“The season so far, it’s strange because my feeling is the worst I’ve had in the five years that I’ve been here.”Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino
It is, after all, the job he has long been touted to assume. Expectations have been quelled at the reigning European champions by the calamitous nature of Julen Lopetegui's three months at the helm.
Lopetegui reaped the seeds of personal desperation; his eagerness to take a job which had become a lifetime ambition cost him an optimum chance to win the World Cup with Spain. Two years of rebuilding La Roja's stock came crashing down on the eve of the tournament.
Being largely unproven did not ruin an impressive stock at the game's highest level beyond repair.
Allowing himself to be a pawn in Florentino Perez's ham-fisted attempt at a power-play in the wake of Zinedine Zidane's surprise resignation proved Lopetegui's undoing.
Pochettino's lack of silverware runs parallel with his prospective predecessor but little else does.
Armed with experienced players capable of soldiering through in the short-term, he would be able to also cultivate a young squad capable of evolving as Spurs have done.
He could be forgiven for accepting a role he had considered a poisoned chalice last summer, when a host of high-profile names including Juergen Klopp and Massimiliano Allegri turned down Perez's advances before his appointment of Lopetegui in a desperate attempted coup.
But the parameters are very different now, not least at Tottenham.
Pochettino's admission that he is encountering his "worst feeling" since 2014 has been enough to cause consternation.
Not that they would be poorly placed if he did choose to walk away, with Harry Kane, Son Heung Min and now Dele Alli all tied down to new long-term deals in recent months.
On and off the pitch, January is set to be a crucial juncture for Tottenham.
Whether Pochettino can be convinced to stick around is more uncertain than ever before.
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