Mauricio Pochettino sat down, pulled his chair in, rocked back, glanced up towards the ceiling and out towards a room full of journalists. He folded his arms, tapped his pen on the desk and scratched the back of his head, looking nervous, agitated, as the inquisition began. Let’s get it over with.

“I’ve been in the world of football for many years and understand that a coach has a sell-by date,” he said. “When you have bad results, it’s normal that the coach goes. We’ve taken a responsible decision, thinking that the change is positive.”

It was never meant to end like that for Pochettino at a club that he had grown to love. Only months earlier he had been linked with Real Madrid, but now, after a wretched start to the season, he was out of a job, wondering whether, by staying too long, ignoring his wife Karina’s advice, allowing his heart to rule his head, thinking he could avert the “disaster looming”,...