The consensus was that the decision was harsh.
Just three days after his Southampton side had held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in January 2013 – a result that kept the newly-promoted outfit three points clear of the relegation zone – manager Nigel Adkins was sacked and replaced by Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentine who had only ever coached one other team and barely spoke a word of English.
It was a risky move from the club's hierarchy, who were fully aware of how popular Adkins was with supporters having taken Southampton from League One to the Premier League within the space of two years.
With survival far from certain and the former Espanyol manager an unknown quantity, the decision could easily have backfired.
Instead, Pochettino did not take long to win over the Southampton faithful, losing only five of his 16 games in charge to ensure the danger of relegation was averted.
The following season, an eighth-place finish – the club's highest in the top flight in 11 years – convinced Tottenham Hotspur that Pochettino was the right man to take over from Tim Sherwood at White Hart Lane.
After ending his debut campaign in fifth, the former Argentina international now has a chance of guiding the club to their first league championship since 1961.
Read more: 'You can see in their eyes': Time for Spurs to start dreaming a little
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Ahead of Sunday’s crunch clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Tottenham find themselves in second place, just five points behind leaders Leicester City.
Three years on from his arrival in England, Pochettino’s exploits at White Hart Lane have seen him linked with some of the biggest jobs in the country, with Manchester United and Chelsea both spoken of as potential destinations in the summer.
If he is able to lead Tottenham to the title this term, other big clubs from across Europe will also be eyeing the 43-year-old as a potential future manager.
Right now, though, there cannot be many better places for Pochettino to be than at Tottenham.
Whether the Premier League is won this year or not, participation in the 2016/17 Uefa Champions League is looking more probable by the week.
Tottenham’s squad is the youngest in the division, with an average age of just 23.9. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is 29 and Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele 28, but the majority of first-team regulars are still in their early or mid-20s.
Players of such an age are more likely to be both fit and impressionable enough to carry out Pochettino’s high-energy, hard-pressing demands, while there is still plenty of room for improvement from a group that contains so many players who have not yet reached the theoretical prime of their careers.
As Lloris noted earlier this week, Tottenham will only get better as the majority of the Frenchman’s teammates still “don’t know their limits”.
That must be an extremely attractive proposition for Pochettino, particularly as he knows he now has enough credit in the bank to play a leading role in the modelling of the squad going forward, a benefit he would probably be denied elsewhere.
Off the pitch, Tottenham are making progress too. A new 61,000-capacity stadium will be completed in two and a half years’ time, giving the club a home that will be a huge boost to them commercially.
There must also be a desire on Pochettino’s part to see through the project he has started.
Since leaving Espanyol in 2012, the Argentine has still not completed a second season with the same club. While that will no longer be the case at the end of the current campaign, it would be advantageous for him to stick around and show he can be successful over a longer period of time.
Even if Tottenham ultimately fall short in the Premier League title race, there is nowhere better for Pochettino to begin next season than White Hart Lane.
Manchester City still very much in title contention
Despite losing 3-1 at home to Leicester City last weekend, Manchester City are still very much in the title picture.
Just six points separate Manuel Pellegrini’s men from top spot, with City’s squad containing more than enough talent for them to go on a long winning run between now and the end of the season.
The core of the group also has experience of winning leagues together before, something that could count in their favour as the current Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester sides embark on a sustained championship challenge for the first time.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to shake off the feeling that City should be doing much better as the campaign enters its final third.
At this stage last term – which itself was hardly a vintage year for the club – City had five points more than they do today.
With almost £150 million (Dh797.8) spent on players such as Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Nicolas Otamendi and Fabian Delph last summer, it is not unreasonable to expect them to be in a stronger position than they presently are.
There was a startling lack of intensity to their play against Leicester last time out, little sense that the players realised they were taking part in a six-pointer against a fellow title contender.
It has been a recurring theme of Pellegrini’s tenure. At their best, City are capable of dominating almost anyone with their sparkling, attacking football.
Too often, though, they are guilty of sleepwalking through games and letting their concentration slip at key moments.
Tottenham will play with their usual verve and vigour at the Etihad on Sunday, something City will have to match if they are to pick up the victory they desperately need.
A failure to do so could lead to Pochettino’s side delivering the knockout blow to City’s title chances.
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