Is this the beginning of the Pochettino Tottenham dynasty … or is it the end?

Mauricio Pochettino sat in front of him and reminded everyone that five years had pbaded since he had been appointed director of Tottenham Hotspur.

On May 27, it was Tottenham's training center at Hotspur Way in Bulls Cross, as well as in 2014, when Pochettino was named successor to Tim Sherwood.

Even these words – Tim and Sherwood – seem distant from the club The Spurs have become meanwhile. They seem to represent the old way of making Spurs before the Spurs become a four-time finalist, an occasional challenger for the title and, now, finalists in the Champions League.

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This was done in the old days. by coaching, improving players and instilling in them the belief that better days are coming.

"I thought today that it was my best time here," Pochettino said on Monday. "Today, I signed a contract five years ago and this period is incredible for us."

There was no sugar dad lavishing considerable expenditure on the team. It is well known at this stage that the Spurs have not recruited a single player since January 2018, when Lucas Moura arrived from Paris St-Germain.

And it was during these five years that Pochettino was recognized for allowing the graduates of the Spurs Academy to flourish in the first team, including captain Harry Kane.

"It was mbadive," said the attacker about his manager earlier this week. "Since he took office, he wanted to become one of the best teams in Europe and we are no longer far from the biggest match of Europe and history. from our club.

"He did a fantastic job, he's an excellent manager. All players want to fight, play and do everything for him.

"These are the standards that he has established, you see how the club is now, the training ground, the stadium, contending the finals of the Champions League, it was the plan and now, it's winning, and continuing to earn more and more, it starts Saturday.

The first trophy may come on Saturday, but it would have been forgiven a slight Spurs feel that instead of the start of a dominant era, this Champions League final would be the culmination of Pochettino's work here.

Pochettino's thought-provoking atmosphere during media day before the Champions League final on Monday was part of it. He was not in the mood to accept the request of an Italian journalist to know whether or not he was going to train in Serie A in the near future.

"I think we still have a lot to do," Pochettino said of Saturday's match. "I have nothing to fear. I'm no more important than the Champions League or the chance to win a trophy. You ask questions about me, but today the focus is on the final 200%.

"The rumors are rumors and are there. After the final, we will have time to talk, but today I am committed to 200% in Tottenham. "

It is hardly the resounding statement "I stay" that would have been well received by Spurs supporters. Indeed, around the time of the return leg in the semifinal against Ajax, Pochettino told reporters that winning the Champions League would represent the perfect closing of a five-year chapter with the Spurs .

During this time, he helped transform the club's overall ethos and make believe both his methods and his badiduous collective identity.

The Spurs may not have been right for all the Champions League opponents this season, for example, but they were there when it mattered. Whether it's a payoff for Hugo Lloris, a Fernando Llorente hip shot or a Lucas Moura hat trick, they have mastered moments and it's a triumph of mentality.

"In life or in your career, there are always extraordinary encounters with one person, and this has been the case with Mauricio," said captain and World Cup winner Lloris at the event. The deep effect his coach had on him.

"It has been important to me and everyone," said Pochettino's compatriot Erik Lamela. "I think the team grew so much when it arrived. I do not need to say that. the results say that's true. "

The union of the Spurs has been an essential component of the season. There are of course key players and any team in the world would be affected by the absence of a Kane or a Dele Alli.

But more than a resort to individuals, Pochettino managed to create a unit from his entire team, each ready to step in and do a job.

There have been so many changes to the Spurs XI Champions League – just a senior player has been spared from injury or suspension at one stage or another – and yet they are here.

Continuity has been a blessing for the Spurs, but there are certainly problems in the manager's inbox, whether it's Pochettino or not.

Christian Eriksen has not yet signed a contract extension and his current contract remains with him for one year. Toby Alderweireld could also leave this summer. Jan Vertonghen's terms expire next year and no progress has been made.

The fact that Pochettino failed to cover the departure of Mousa Dembele in January with a substitute – despite the availability of players – could well indicate that he considers the recruitment as a job for the next manager.

"Obviously, we do not know the ins and outs and the reason the club has signed a contract with anyone," said Danny Rose.

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"You can either consider that the manager has full confidence in his work over the last two years, that he believes in you and that he does not want to get anyone to challenge your position, or you can take it person does not want to join Tottenham, or the club has not been able to provide the funds needed to buy anyone.

"The whole team understood that the manager believes in us, despite what is in the media and what I have been able to say in the past, that the manager must sign a contract. The manager believes in his own way, we are all behind him and look what it has brought us. "

Winning the Champions League may be the perfect way to say goodbye. After overseeing the total replenishment of the game team, moving into their new stadium and leaving the Spurs as champions of Europe, Pochettino might well be wondering what he can do to more.