Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has revealed his inspiration … and he could have managed rivals West Ham United.
Pochettino has carved out a reputation as one of the finest managers on the planet thanks to the brilliant job he has done at both Southampton and Tottenham.
The Argentine has turned Spurs into one of the best teams in Europe and genuine title challengers.
He has done so in style too as Wednesday night’s memorable 3-1 win over Champions League holders Real Madrid proved.
Things look to be going in the opposite direction for Spurs’ London rivals West Ham.
Slaven Bilic’s future looks in doubt with the Hammers sitting precariously above the relegation zone with a quarter of the season gone.
Indeed when Bilic was appointed following the departure of Sam Allardyce he was not the only man in the running with co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold torn between the Croatian and then Marseille boss Marcelo Bielsa, as reported by Sky Sports at the time.
But did the Hammers miss a trick not appointing the maverick Argentine coach after Pochettino revealed Bielsa is his inspiration as a manager in an interview with L’Equipe.
“Totally (inspired by Bielsa),” Pochettino told L’Equipe.
“Firstly, because no-one can do it like him. There are people who tried to benefit from his knowledge by being around him, others have tried to copy him but a copy is never as good.
“You can’t make a good a copy of a Dali, Picasso. Many would describe him as that, others perhaps not.
“I would say he’s an exceptional being, is absolutely no fool, who’s gone for it – and done it – alone, and has been a source of inspiration for numerous coaches.”
Interestingly Bielsa was also credited by Sullivan as the man who persuaded West Ham to sign Dimitri Payet – arguably the best player to grace the club for a decade, as reported by the Daily Mail.
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