Breaking Down the Latest on Mauricio Pochettinos Unhappiness at Spurs, Crisis Talks & Parting Ways

The fallout from Tottenham's Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich continues apace, as stories swirl regarding the future of Mauricio Pochettino and the direction of the club in general.

There's talk of a 'distant' Poch, crisis talks and disillusioned players.

Don't know what to believe? Here's a breakdown of what's being said on Thursday...

What's the Story?

Spurs are in trouble but Poch isn't.

Since the high of reaching the Champions League final at the business end of last season, Pochettino's Spurs have been on a downward trajectory.

A mixed start to the season sees them in sixth in the Premier League, after seven games, following disappointing defeats to Newcastle and Leicester. Meanwhile, the Carabao Cup exit to League Two Colchester was trumped for sheer embarrassment by the 7-2 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League - the biggest margin of defeat by an English team at home in any European competition in history - with former Arsenal starlet Serge Gnabry, of all people, scoring four on Tuesday night.

However, the word from Telegraph Sport is that there's nothing to see here and it is 'business as usual' at Spurs, where chairman Daniel Levy continues to back Pochettino, who signed an £8.5m-a-year contract extension in May.

Their report adds that Spurs' hierarchy don't even feel the need to come out and back Poch with any kind of public statement, with Levy 'confident' Spurs can still make it out of their Champions League group and finish in the Premier League's top four promised land.

So it's a Big Nothing Then?

Well... Sportsmail have a different take, despite agreeing with Telegraph Sport that Pochettino (whose contract would cost £32m to pay out) won't be sacked.

Their Wednesday night report claims that Spurs players 'fear' Pochettino is growing distant, with sources noting how the Argentine is 'less visible' at training. It is even noted, somewhat bizarrely it must be said, that Poch has 'even [been] watching some sessions from indoors'. The implication of the piece, which paints the manager as a sulky, house-bound teenager, is clearly that Pochettino is unhappy and waiting for some club to buy him out of his North-London prison.

More interestingly, it is speculated that the manager's relationship with certain players has suffered.

Moussa Sissoko openly questioned Tottenham's tactics in the wake of the defeat to Bayern, while Toby Alderweireld admitted he is at his lowest point during his time at the club.

It has even been suggested (shock, horror) that Harry Kane is considering his future at the club.

Crisis Talks

Meanwhile, John Cross of The Mirror writes that the Spurs players were called to a 'crisis meeting' to discuss their poor start to the 2019/20 campaign.

It is reported that Pochettino spoke to his players at the training ground (indoor or outdoors unspecified) as they came in to prepare for the weekend clash away to Brighton.

Cross calls the meeting an 'inquest' in order to 'hammer out the reasons' for their recent shortcomings but stops short of providing much actual detail.

What Has Pochettino Actually Said?

Pochettino didn't exactly help the speculation that he is growing apart from Spurs when he urged the club to settle on a new 'project' in the post-match interview on Tuesday night.

“I told you many weeks ago that this is going to be a tough season,” Pochettino said.

“After the final of the Champions League last season, it was a chapter closed and now the club is in a period when they need to open another chapter and decide a project – medium, long-term.”

Whether he wants to be a part of that next project remains open to interpretation.

Breaking Down the Latest on Mauricio Pochettinos Unhappiness at Spurs, Crisis Talks & Parting Ways

What's the Story?

So it's a Big Nothing Then?

Crisis Talks

What Has Pochettino Actually Said?

Further Reading