"My team and I love helping young players. It's like planting a tree, watering it and watching it grow. All the fruit that it bears comes from the land and the environment that you put in place."
Mauricio Pochettino, courtesy of the writing of Guillem Balague, put into words just what his methods towards youth players as a manager are in his book 'A Brave New World' written about his 2016/17 season at Tottenham. It's a sentence that perhaps sums up the connection between coach and player that allowed player, boss and fans to thrive that year.
Spurs went on to finish second, their highest-ever finish in the Premier League. They challenged Chelsea for large portions of the season and stayed within touching distance of their London rivals across three years. It's not a trophy, and Antonio Conte's side pushed past them in the FA Cup semi-final too, but it was a success nonetheless for Pochettino.
