Tottenham have made a 'mistake' by sacking Mauricio Pochettino, and should have done it earlier if at all - according to journalist Martin Lipton.

Pochettino was sacked by Spurs this evening, and Lipton is well-placed to comment, having written a book on the club's trials and successes.

"I think it is a mistake. I would have given him the chance to buy the players that he thought were needed to bring in to change things around. He has been worried for eighteen months about the players running dry on the way he makes them play.

"He wanted to make changes two summers ago, not last summer. He has been left this summer with players because no-one wanted them.

"It has all fallen apart pretty rapidly, and that is a great game.

"He has taken the club to heights that they have never dreamed of. I never thought I would see Tottenham in a Champions League final."

While questions remain as to why the decision has been made, Lipton thinks that Pochettino has to shoulder some of the blame for Spurs' performances.

"He doesn't seem to know his best team. If he was just changing the full-backs, that would be fine. But he is changing all of them, trying to get a result.

"These are good players. If you looked at Harry Winks and Harry Kane for England this week, there is no doubt that they are both fantastic players."

As to why the decision has been made, Lipton believes that the players have grown weary of his training methods and playing style.

"There is an argument that the players have stopped playing for him. The lack of press has been remarkable, for a team that was always about hunting the ball at pace, they just stood off the ball.

"They have lacked intensity from the first game of the season."