So fine are the margins that even a single slip may prove fatal, and once again condemn Spurs Manager Mauricio Pochettino and his team to accusations that they lack the cutting edge, the carat mass, to shine among the elite. Pochettino, like Messi, will suffer because of the standards he has set.

It is worth considering, though, the nature of Tottenham when Pochettino took over in 2014: that Tottenham was a team deep in the shadow of its two fiercest rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea; one that only occasionally featured in the Champions League; one that few, even among its most ardent fans, considered genuine contenders for the Premier League title.

Over the course of Pochettino’s almost five seasons at the club, all of that has been transformed. Tottenham is now, certainly, a better team than either Arsenal or Chelsea. It has become a fixture in the Champions League, with a place in this season’s quarterfinals well within its grasp.

Since Pochettino took charge, only one team — Manchester City — has won more points in the Premier League. Twice, Tottenham has mounted sustained challenges for a first English championship since 1961. This season, it has managed to cling to the coattails of City and Liverpool, both of whom have more points at this stage of the season than all but a handful of teams in history.

Given those circumstances, the season Pochettino has overseen thus far may rank as his finest yet. When the transfer window closed on Jan. 31, Tottenham became the first team in Premier League history not to add a single player over the course of an entire campaign.

If that parsimony was extreme, it was not out of character: Since Pochettino arrived in May 2014, Tottenham has spent barely half of the amount lavished on Manchester City and Manchester United’s squads. The sale of midfielder Mousa Dembélé in January meant that, since Pochettino arrived, the club has invested less than $30 million, net, in the transfer market.