Former Spurs manager Pochettino was also seen in attendance amid rumors of a possible return to the club. Pochettino is currently coaching the U.S. national team ahead of this summer’s home World Cup, but many expect the 54-year-old to step down after the tournament. The former centre-back’s contract ends later this year, but last month he admitted he was open to any possibilities after that.
In a radio interview with Spain’s RNE broadcaster Radiogaseta de los Deportes, the player said: “I will always be associated with Tottenham, just as I was once associated with Espanyol and other clubs.” “At the end of the day, especially because of the past at those clubs, when things aren’t going well, people tend to rely on emotion and say, ‘Well, we played good football with Mauricio’ or whatever it is.”
“But that’s not the case. We’re focused on the World Cup and the United States. My contract runs until after the World Cup, so we’ll see what happens after that. I’m open to everything, right?”
The experienced manager previously took Tottenham to the Spanish capital’s stadium in 2019, leading them to the Champions League final there. Spurs lost to Liverpool in that spectacular performance, and a few months later, Pochettino was sacked as manager after a difficult start to the season and replaced by Jose Mourinho.
But if Tuesday night’s performance was any indication, Pochettino could face considerable challenges if he chooses to return to north London. Marco Llorente broke the deadlock for Atleti just six minutes into the game, and Antoine Griezmann extended their lead less than 10 minutes later.
Julian Alvarez made it 3-0 a minute after the restart, with Igor Tudor watching helplessly on the touchline, but Robin Le Normand made it 4-0 for the hosts with 22 minutes remaining. Despite Pedro Polo giving the club a glimmer of hope shortly after by reducing the arrears, Spurs headed to the locker room at the break facing a 4-1 deficit to come back in the second half.
Alvarez appeared to have scored in the 10th minute of the second half, but Dominic Solanke equalized as time expired. The Lilywhites were rewarded for their efforts as they left the Spanish capital with a 5-2 loss. Spurs have been in the midst of a managerial change since Pochettino’s departure, with Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank all relieved of their duties.
Caretaker manager Tudor is already facing intense scrutiny as Spurs are embroiled in a relegation scrap. Pochettino has gone through a turbulent period since leaving Spurs.
The American manager spent just over 18 months at Paris Saint-Germain, securing the Ligue 1 title in 2022, and spent just 12 months at Chelsea before leaving Spurs’ London rivals. His presence could still add to the burden on Tudor as they seek their first win.
However, the Croatian is aware that the Premier League remains his biggest goal. He said: “As you said, we need to do our best in that we need to grow, because our first goal is the Premier League. We need to say this publicly, this is normal, this is special. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to go through, we don’t want to go to the next round.”
