FIFA World Cup: Pochettino makes case for most influential coach

France captain Hugo Lloris is one of 13 current or former Tottenham players still in the World Cup. Photo / AP

Much of the Premier League returned for the start of pre-season training last week but you could almost forgive Mauricio Pochettino for giving his Tottenham squad the rest of July off.

As of now, the number of his players still involved at this late stage of the World Cup across three squads totalled nine. He even had two potential national captains in Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane in contention to lift the trophy.

From Nacer Chadli and Luka Modric to Kyle Walker and Vedran Corluka, there were also plenty of others who have passed through White Hart Lane in recent years.

Not all were personally coached and improved by Pochettino but most were and it begs the question: Is the most influential coach at this World Cup not Gareth Southgate, Didier Deschamps, or Roberto Martinez, but perhaps Pochettino?

With Tottenham's move to a new stadium looming this year - and both Pochettino and Kane signing new contracts - it has been another wonderful advertisement for the club. Any young player searching for an environment that might maximise their talent should be taking note.

After the semifinalists were decided, there were nine times more Tottenham players still involved in the tournament than neighbours Arsenal, themselves once seen as the ultimate English home for emerging international talent.

The days of 1998 when the Daily Mirror famously proclaimed "Arsenal win the World Cup" are a long time ago.

"I think it's very good for the image of Tottenham - it is good experience and good for the future of the club," said Lloris. "Hopefully, a Tottenham player will become a World Cup winner. Obviously, there is one I wish for the most."

There is a potential big downside to all this for Tottenham. Pochettino places enormous emphasis on the pre-season time he can spend with his players, and it is the one period of the year when he can work with sustained intensity on their physical fitness. It means Arsenal, among others, should be in far better shape for the start of the Premier League season early next month.

And yet there is another intangible counter-benefit for Spurs. For all their progress in recent years, Tottenham have heard often about how their players are yet to win medals.

A sizeable number could have the most important one of all in their pocket come Monday.