Tottenham Hotspur's Rough End to the Season Can Stand Pochettino in Good Stead

Sitting down for his pre-Southampton press conference last week, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino noticed a child sat toward the back of the room.

He warmly acknowledged this young member of the small group of visiting fans invited to sit in on proceedings. Then the brief moment of relative normality passed and the inquisition began.

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Four days after Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Chelsea, Pochettino had to face the fallout of the messy conclusion to his team's unsuccessful Premier League title challenge. One of several trying experiences in a rough end to this season that, though undesirable in the present, can stand him in good stead moving forward.

This "rough" last few weeks—the Chelsea game sandwiched by a costly draw with West Bromwich Albion and Sunday's 2-1 loss to Southampton—should be put into perspective.

It is nothing compared to, say, the travails of their final-day opponents Newcastle United, relegated on Wednesday after north-east rivals Sunderland beat Everton. Nor the Toffees' troubles, the Merseyside outfit now searching for a new manager after they sacked Roberto Martinez on the same day Pochettino and his coaching staff agreed new extensions to their contracts.

Spurs' drama is that they might not seal second place and would lose out to north London rivals Arsenal in the process—denying them a first finish above the Gunners since 1995.

Missing out here would be galling, but confirmed UEFA Champions League football next season and the prospect of a talented young team progressing further with their focused boss makes for considerable compensation.

Integral to any bright future is being able to learn from experiences—negative ones in particular, like the crunch-time struggles hurting Tottenham in the last stretch of the run-in.

Pochettino was keen to emphasise this in his interview with Tottenham's official website accompanying the announcement of his new deal:

"

It's a big challenge for us to move on. We need to be stronger in our mentality individually and collectively. We are happy but always thinking about the future. 

In football, it's always possible to improve. A lot of things have happened this season that we need to learn from for next season. I think we're in a good way so be patient, work hard and ensure that the good things arrive.

"

The Argentinian also expounded and reiterated several themes he has drawn on over the last month. A period in which he has carefully tip-toed between realism and defensiveness in examining the tactical/delivery miscues (notably being unable to break down stubborn opposition resistance) and character shortcomings (the Chelsea disciplinary debacle) informing disappointing results.

"It's true now is the end of the season and it’s a moment to try and analyse and assess but next season we need to have better mentality and try to improve in all areas—this is our challenge," Pochettino said on Thursday.

After the West Brom game, he similarly talked about the "need to be calm to assess and analyse the season."

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For this, Pochettino is keen to keep the focus on what he, the players and all involved staff do.

"We have our own philosophy, we have our own history and it’s not important what happens with our rivals," Pochettino offered this week, alluding to Arsenal-related answers he had voiced prior to, and after, the Southampton defeat.

"I think because I don’t care about Arsenal," he replied bluntly in the latter instance. "I don’t care. I want to win the league, I want to be on the top."

Boosted by the confirmation he and his coaching staff—Jesus Perez, Miguel D'Agostino and Toni Jimenez—plan to stay for the foreseeable future, the mandate Pochettino has essentially set out in all this is a bold one.

He has not been discouraged by more specifically determining his team's present imperfections (as high-pressure situations often reveal), rather refocused in the need to refine them.

Of course, success this season would have been preferable, but in the circumstances, Spurs have been reminded progress does not come easy.

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Things are only going to get tougher in a division where the traditional powers are not going to take the incursion of Tottenham and champions Leicester City lying down. The Foxes' achievements shows the depth of the top flight looks set to get stronger, too.

With this in mind, Pochettino will be demanding even more of his players. The added burden of Champions League involvement will also further minimise their opportunities for respite.

Competitive pressure can quickly become stress in these defining parts of a season. The ramifications of performances good and bad mean there are few moments to relax and appreciate life out of the bubble.

As rough as it has been of late for Tottenham, both Pochettino and his team would likely not have it any other way.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.