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Mauricio Pochettino has spoken of his gratitude for being “part of Tottenham Hotspur ‘s history”.
The Argentinian was sacked last week after five years in the job following Spurs’ slump in form, before being swiftly replaced by Jose Mourinho .
Pochettino took the north London club to the Champions League final last season, where they were beaten by Liverpool in Madrid.
In a statement issued through the League Managers Association on Thursday evening, Pochettino said: “I would like to thank Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy for giving me the opportunity to be part of Tottenham Hotspur’s history.
“I would like to thank also everyone I met at Tottenham, all the club staff and the football players during these five and a half years.
We dare Tottenham fans to look through this galleryShow all 21 1 /21We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery The Pochettino challenge Mauricio Pochettino has been dismissed after five-and-a-half extremely successful seasons in north London – to the horror of numerous Spurs fans. Tottenham may have started the season in disastrous form – and the pressure may have been growing on the Argentine – but Pochettino will always hold a special place in the heart of fans for the way he turned an underachieving club into Champions League finalists. The feelings are still raw on Wednesday morning, so does any Spurs fan have the courage to take on our Pochettino challenge, and click through 20 of the most memorable photographs taken during his time in charge? Those of an emotional disposition are advised to look away now…
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 1 An easy start. A snap of Pochettino celebrating his first ever victory in Tottenham colours - a late 1-0 win over West Ham. The first of 159, in his 293 games in charge.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 2 Ah, remember when Pochettino used to cheerily pose in the exact same statuesque position every time one of his squad agreed to a contract extension? Outstanding meme material.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 3 Now we're cooking with gas. Pochettino celebrating another win against West Ham, this time a 3-2 triumph in the 2016/17 season. Look at his face. Look at the passion.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 4 Posing with his Manager of the Month trophy in May 2017, along with Son Heung-min. A fun story, apropos of nothing. Son desperately struggled during his first season at Tottenham and endured a number of embarrassing training sessions, where he was so nervous he could barely control the ball. He began to beat himself up, but that summer – rather than look to sell him – Pochettino arranged a long meeting with him during which he insisted he had what it took to succeed in the Premier League. He started him against Stoke in a match early in the season and Son was superb – scoring twice and being named Man of the Match. No, YOU’RE crying.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 5 Pochettino waves goodbye to White Hart Lane on an emotional afternoon in north London.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 6 And again. Spurs beat Manchester United 2-1 in their final match at the famous old stadium, with the crowd regaling Pochettino throughout the final ceremony. In their final two matches of the season, Spurs went on to beat Leicester 6-1 and Hull 7-1.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 7 Pochettino with Trippier and his daughter, before their falling out. Pochettino and Kieran Trippier that is. He didn't fall out with the tot.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 8 This is where it begins to get hard.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 9 Losing his shit with Fernando Llorente and Kyle Walker-Peters over *that* miracle against Manchester City.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 10 But if you thought that was emotional...
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 11 ... wait until you see these. In May Spurs fought back to beat Ajax 3-2 in Amsterdam, in one of the most incredible Champions League matches ever witnessed.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 12 Celebrating with Hugo Lloris, who in 2017 infamously insisted he would follow Pochettino out of the door, should he ever leave Spurs.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 13 The celebration to end all celebrations. The definition of 'giving it large'.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 14 This one must be hard to take. Pochettino with the slippery snake himself. It's interesting that Levy's right hand is out of shot. Presumably that was the one which plunged the knife square between Pochettino's shoulder blades.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 15 And here he is with loyal assistant Jesus Perez, who now joins him on the dole.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 16 Instagram videos sneakily recorded in the away dressing room later depicted Pochettino crying, singing and swigging from a Heineken bottle.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 17 Ahead of the final in Madrid, Pochettino and his team were given a rousing send-off at the club's new stadium. He completed his lap of honour with tears in his eyes.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 18 The biggest match in the history of the club quickly turned into its biggest nightmare, too. Spurs simply didn’t arrive in Madrid. And Pochettino was made to rue his costly decision to start a clearly unfit Harry Kane.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 19 On October 1, Tottenham took the lead over Bayern Munich, only to somehow lose 7-2. The writing was by now on the wall. Pochettino's reign was coming to an end.
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We dare Tottenham fans to look through this gallery Photograph 20 He did not know it at the time, but Pochettino's time at Tottenham was to end with an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Sheffield United. The end. And if you were able to click this far without bursting into tears, then you are quite obviously not a Tottenham fan or you make a habit of not reading the silly captions. Congratulations either way!
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“Finally I would like to give a special mention to the fans who make this club so great with their fantastic support.
“I gave the best of me to accomplish the objectives I was asked for in our first meeting. There were equally tough challenges as exciting success.
“Best wishes for the future, I am sure we will cross paths again.”
Former Espanyol and Southampton boss Pochettino has been linked with a swift return to the game, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich suggested as potential destinations.
PA
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