Sod’s Law, some would say. But in this instance it is more like Murphy’s Law.
Because Murphy is the name of the place where incredibly both Tottenham boss Pochettino and keeper Paulo Gazzaniga hail from.
With the town boasting a population of just 3,500, it is no wonder Poch grew up knowing the stopper’s family.
But he did not know Gazzaniga had become a keeper until he took over at Southampton in 2013 and recognised his name on the squad list. Poch then signed him for Spurs before the start of last season.
Third-choice Gazzaniga has started their last two matches due to injuries to Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm.
And even though Lloris is close to a return, the Argie, 26, is set to keep his place at Huddersfield today.
This comes after his two saves in the penalty shootout helped them beat Watford in the Carabao Cup at Milton Keynes on Wednesday night.
And Pochettino said: “He comes from Murphy like I do. I know his family very well. His father and his grandfather.
"I didn’t know he was a goalkeeper until I arrived at Southampton and he was there. When I left my home town he wasn’t even born!
“Then we saw the squad, and we said, ‘Gazzaniga?’ So I called him and asked him about his name. And he said, ‘Yes, I am Paolo. Dani is my dad’. I couldn’t believe it.”
Gazzaniga’s heroics against the Hornets means both of his starts for Spurs this season have resulted in wins.
Pochettino said: “Of course we are so happy, that is why we signed him one year ago. It is so important to have goalkeepers that can play and perform the way Paulo does.
“It is so tough to be a keeper and wait your opportunity. It is not like a player in different positions that you can play five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour.
“The position is more specialist than any other. It is so tough waiting for your opportunity. Our goalkeeping coach Tony Jimenez is doing a fantastic job keeping all the keepers awake and ready to play.
“It is a difficult mental situation for the keepers that aren’t playing too much — but now you can see the job and they can pay back all the work in the past.”
But Pochettino joked he is still Murphy’s favourite son. He grinned: “I don’t have Twitter or Instagram but if you go to Gazzaniga’s page, you will see a big picture of the sign on the road when you arrive in Murphy.
“It has all the famous people from the town . . . athletes, footballers. I think it says, ‘Welcome to Murphy’. We are both on there — but I am above Paulo!”
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