Friedel Spurs top 4 chances very good

Brad Friedel thinks Spurs have a very good chance of making the top four this season under new boss Mauricio Pochettino.



Friedel was on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show on talkSPORT with former England player Ray Wilkins and the three of them began by talking about West Ham and the three defeats last season and the fact that Spurs were poor against them.

"We know that as players, it is a short little trip, it is a derby, we've had a great pre-season and all the fans need to know that we want to put right what wasn't right last year. We lost three times to them last year and we can’t let that happen again!”

Spurs US Ambassador went on to confirm that the board wants and is looking for continuity, it's not just a case of hire and fire if you don't get results, there is a little more to it than that.

“It’s another change but it’s a positive change. Everybody talks about the continuity and the board definitely wants us to get continuity but every manager has come and gone for different reasons or implications as to why they've gone but he’s come in and all the players have taken to his new philosophies.  

"It is going to take time, possibly a little bit of time, but we've got such good players in the changing room and everyone now has gone through this five or six weeks of pre-season and is raring to go.”

The revolving door people suggest and idiotically talk about Christmas being a cut off point will stop as soon as the right man is found and the fans can see the right man is found. Mauricio Pochetino is not a name so therefore will never be good enough for some fans but Arsene Wenger wasn't anyone when he went to Arsenal.

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An absolutely vital part of a manager is his communication, how he talks to the players, do they respect him, do they buy into his ideas or do they let it go in one ear and out the other. If a manager is too confrontational then he oversteps the line and looses the dressing room, when that has happened there is now point keeping him around. Brad feels his communication is excellent bot individually and to a group.

"He does it in both ways as well, he will pull players individually and talk to the group collectively, he's not afraid to express his opinion, he's very precise and decisive on his points so sometimes players aren't going to like what comes out of every managers mouth but he’s very honest in what he says and that goes a long way."

Tottenham have European football once again as a club like ours should have, this season we need to kick on in the tournament and be looking to reach the semi-finals to begin with. Being in Europe raises the clubs profile and that helps to attract players. Better to be seen than to be a nobody in the Premier League even if that does mean we end up playing more games than anyone else.

"Being in the Europa League we have those added fixtures obviously and a club like Tottenham are going to want to do well in the League Cup and the FA Cup, the squad size is very important." 

The big squad is there to cover the workload and it gives an opportunity to develop some of the younger players as well as giving game time to the players not playing in the Premier League each week. It's an opportunity to promote yourself to the manager by taking the chance to show him what you can do.

"During my time at the club we've sometimes had rive top goalkeeper and Michel [Vorm] has come in, he a great goalkeeper, it's very healthy, very friendly competition for places. Everyone knows what an outstanding goalkeeper Hugo is, so if something were to happen to Hugo there is ample cover."

After discussing the goalkeeper situation Ray Wilkins asked him what were the chances of finishing in the top four and Brad was very positive, it wasn't an if we finish in the top four but almost an if we perform we will attitude.

“Very good, I like what Iv'e seen so far. Iv'e said it since I come to the club, the players we have are outstanding. It’s up to us as players, down to the manager as well but it's up to us players, to adapt to the new manager’s style and, if we do that and hit the ground running, starting tomorrow [West Ham] you’ll see a very good Tottenham side this season.”

He was asked how he felt himself, not being a spring chicken any more.

"Actually I feel really good, 43 years of age, I think I'm going to break down in pre-season and I go though another one and I feel great, I'm not sure if I look great but I feel great."

Tottenham have five games in the opening 15 days of the season where the squad will need to be managed, Kyle Naughton for instance will need a rest during that time with Kyle Walker injured. The result next Thursday will be vital in giving Pochettino the chance to do that. At worse a draw but more preferably an away win would put us in the driving seat for the home leg and the chance to alternate some players ahead of the Liverpool clash that weekend.

"Iv'e never been out to that part of the world, we're looking for ward to the Europa League, we want to go far in the competition and we have to get through the play-off round first. We can also use it as an added game to get some players some added minutes as well so we're looking forward to it."

Friedel has been named in Spurs UEFA Europa League squad for the two qualifying ties while Michel Vorm has been left out. That affords him extra time to get to the level of fitness Pochettino requires after an extended break following the World Cup in Brazil.

It would be no surprise to see Friedel play in at least one of those games, if not both.

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