Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy made no attempt to disguise the ruthless decision that prompted the departure of Mauricio Pochettino – this was a sacking, not a parting of ways dressed up as mutual consent.
It will be seen by many as an extraordinary move, coming just months after the Argentine took Spurs to their first Champions League final, against Liverpool in Madrid.
With hindsight, Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat was the beginning of the end.
Why has it gone wrong so quickly for Pochettino?
Spurs seemed set fair for a golden future on that balmy night in Spain, when club and manager hit the pinnacle of a Champions League final appearance.
And yet the subsequent defeat appeared to open up all the frustrations that Pochettino had been feeling about his inability to work in the transfer market against the backdrop of the construction of the club’s new £1bn stadium.
It was a situation exacerbated by that fact that players who he expected to depart in order to finance his squad restructuring – such as Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose – could not be sold.
The pain of that defeat was a watershed for Pochettino. He was unable to change the dynamic of his team and had simply run out of ways to recharge his own batteries and those of his players.
The 47-year-old, who later admitted he may have quit had Spurs beaten Liverpool that night, underwent a very obvious change in demeanour, cutting a sullen, downbeat figure.
Some close to the club even suggested he had become a distant figure on the training ground, where previously he had been hands-on and all-encompassing.
The warning signs were clear after a friendly win against Real Madrid in July when Pochettino made a very pointed remark about his influence – or lack of it – at the club.
He said: “Sell, buy players, sign contract, not sign contract. I think it is not in my hands, it is in the club’s hands and Daniel Levy.
“The club needs to change my title and description. Of course I am the boss deciding the strategic play but in another area I don’t know. Today I feel like I am the coach.”
Sir Alex Ferguson used to talk about “the four-year cycle” at Manchester United, the crucial time when a team needs refreshing, fresh voices need to be heard, fresh ideas implemented by new players.
Pochettino, because of a financial straightjacket, could not do that. This season he performed like a stale manager in charge of a stale squad.
The Spurs set-up is heavy on players who have been with Pochettino most, if not all, of the way, such as Eriksen, Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Eric Dier.
They have looked a side short on inspiration and it has been reflected in performances such as the humiliating 7-2 loss at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the first time they had conceded seven goals at home in their 137-year history.
