Did we get what we expected with Pochettino?
It feels like a Sunday but it is Spring Bank Holiday of course so as a website that does more than just bring you the news, it's time to take stock.
I write a series now and then, the latest based around our financials has been very well received. Today I'd like to send you back a year and assess what has happened, so grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee because it's time for a good read that will hopefully make you think.
We have now had a season under Mauricio Pochettino where we moved up a place in the table to fifth while he assessed, the club, assessed the playing staff, implemented a new playing style and had to learn about the demands of European football.
A year on how has he done?
We'll start by looking back to articles written last May so do read them as they will give you something to think about.
The first article was written on 23rd May 2014 before Mauricio Pochettino was appointed by Tottenham, What Spurs could expect from Pochettino (opens in a new window). Reading it again you can see how it's contents been implemented.
The following article looks at another aspect, it was written a week later on 30th May 2014 and looked at How Pochettino will improve Spurs (opens in a new window). There is a quote in there from a former Espanyol youth coach that may just be the reason Lamela has struggled and isn't yet showing what he can really do.
The final article I'll ask you to go back and read was written on 1st June 2014 looked to the future and was entitled Pochettinoo will turn Spurs into a force to be reckoned with (opens in a new window).
OK so now you know what to expect how has Pochettino done?
Well his style in the first article has certainly been implemented, reading it you can see aspects of it in your minds eye so we have had no surprises there.
The second article is a little harder but suggests his training approach will be a little different than other managers, we will try to grow as a team as opposed to growing as individuals and the team improving by default. His training methods work at improving the overall as well as the individual. There are still individual videos for each player to study from games but then there are match situations created whereby the individual can work on that skill in relation to everyone else.
It's a change from the 'i' to 'we' approach. Certain players were against that approach, it's alien to them as the article points out and people rebel against something they don't know or understand.
The third article looked forward comparing the Andre Villas-Boas style to the Pochettino style. It was Pochettino's second season at Southampton where they made a giant stride forward as a club and Tottenham will be hoping that the players can implement the Pochettino style with greater effectiveness in the second season. It too Liverpool a season to learn the Brendan Rogers system which the saw them finish second in the league. Season two is a big one for Pochettino, as the article says at the end regarding playing his system effectively, 'how long will it take to implement'.
This season has seen success and failure but definite signs of the club sorting itself out at last. We have a squad with a number of players more interested in their wage packets and who just want to go on doing what they have always done, who want an easy life basically. We have a squad built up by different managers with different playing styles so it's all a bit of a mess that needed sorting out. We tried to short-cut success and buy a team for the future but got it horribly wrong.
Pochettino has set about repairing that, he has identified the players he wants and those he doesn't have been given clear indication there is no point hanging on in the hope of getting an opportunity. With Daniel Levy's backing he has, effectively been forcing players out of the club. Harsh tactics but a manager/head coach lives or dies by his results thus having players you want is important.
It should be remembered that former players at Southampton and Espanyol moaned that if you weren't in the Pochettino inner circle you were just left. Implement his tactics as he asks and you'll get in, it's quite simple.
We are all aware a stadium is around the corner and money will be tight so the club has to be in a position where it is not trying to buy a team during the initial years, that means having the playing staff how we want it and developing the youth. It is that that is the key as to why players have been isolated, for our future we can't afford to have them here. We have to have a settled team growing together in a position to challenge for the Champions League spots.
We have scored more goals but we have let in a lot too, far, far too many with daft individual errors, the number we have conceded inside our own box, where the defender hasn't bothered to clear the ball but tried to shield it for instance. Harry Kane, Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason, Danny Rose, Eric Dier have all been success stories, Nacer Chadli and Christian Eriksen have produced in periods while Hugo Lloris has been top drawer again. We have a young nucleus to build around.
We finished 5th in the table, reached a cup final and secured European football while we took stock, I'd say, being realistic and understanding the constraints we work under, that was a good first year.
We have restructured the football side of Tottenham off the field which incorporates a new team assessing our transfer targets.Tthis will be the first chance for Pochettino to delve into the transfer market and piece together a squad. Austrian centre-back Kevin Wimmer we know is the first arrival, having confirmed it himself to the German paper Bild.
Brad Friedel retires, which frees up a non home-grown player berth in the squad. Emmanuel Adebayor, Younes Kaboul and Etienne Capoue should all leave and free up three more. Paulinho, Vlad Chiriches and Roberto Soldado should join them taking the total to seven. If Cristian Ceballos departs, he is in the first team squad but hasn't figured, then the non home-grown berths available rises to eight. This is exactly where I have been suggesting we need to plan ahead for the last 2 years.
The strategy Daniel levy had, which he made the mistake of deviating from, is back in place and thus Pochettino is here for the long haul to transform the playing side. We can't afford to change managers while building a new stadium, a new boss would have little money to spend. It is clear then he will b backed, and has been, within that strategy to build a footballing future.
The first year of that is always hard as it's an assessment and dismantling year, piecing back together with only the required components. To achieve 5th, a cup final and European football with a limited squad is an achievement and if he has managed to force certain players out of the club then it's been an even more successful year.
It is a time to look forward with optimism, stage one successfully completed, on to stage two.
I write a series now and then, the latest based around our financials has been very well received. Today I'd like to send you back a year and assess what has happened, so grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee because it's time for a good read that will hopefully make you think.
We have now had a season under Mauricio Pochettino where we moved up a place in the table to fifth while he assessed, the club, assessed the playing staff, implemented a new playing style and had to learn about the demands of European football.
A year on how has he done?
We'll start by looking back to articles written last May so do read them as they will give you something to think about.
The first article was written on 23rd May 2014 before Mauricio Pochettino was appointed by Tottenham, What Spurs could expect from Pochettino (opens in a new window). Reading it again you can see how it's contents been implemented.
The following article looks at another aspect, it was written a week later on 30th May 2014 and looked at How Pochettino will improve Spurs (opens in a new window). There is a quote in there from a former Espanyol youth coach that may just be the reason Lamela has struggled and isn't yet showing what he can really do.
"The player has to get used to all these factors (emotional, psychological, tactical, opponents, etc.), otherwise, despite his good skills and technique, he does not know how to read the game and choose the best option."
The final article I'll ask you to go back and read was written on 1st June 2014 looked to the future and was entitled Pochettinoo will turn Spurs into a force to be reckoned with (opens in a new window).
OK so now you know what to expect how has Pochettino done?
Well his style in the first article has certainly been implemented, reading it you can see aspects of it in your minds eye so we have had no surprises there.
The second article is a little harder but suggests his training approach will be a little different than other managers, we will try to grow as a team as opposed to growing as individuals and the team improving by default. His training methods work at improving the overall as well as the individual. There are still individual videos for each player to study from games but then there are match situations created whereby the individual can work on that skill in relation to everyone else.
It's a change from the 'i' to 'we' approach. Certain players were against that approach, it's alien to them as the article points out and people rebel against something they don't know or understand.
The third article looked forward comparing the Andre Villas-Boas style to the Pochettino style. It was Pochettino's second season at Southampton where they made a giant stride forward as a club and Tottenham will be hoping that the players can implement the Pochettino style with greater effectiveness in the second season. It too Liverpool a season to learn the Brendan Rogers system which the saw them finish second in the league. Season two is a big one for Pochettino, as the article says at the end regarding playing his system effectively, 'how long will it take to implement'.
This season has seen success and failure but definite signs of the club sorting itself out at last. We have a squad with a number of players more interested in their wage packets and who just want to go on doing what they have always done, who want an easy life basically. We have a squad built up by different managers with different playing styles so it's all a bit of a mess that needed sorting out. We tried to short-cut success and buy a team for the future but got it horribly wrong.
Pochettino has set about repairing that, he has identified the players he wants and those he doesn't have been given clear indication there is no point hanging on in the hope of getting an opportunity. With Daniel Levy's backing he has, effectively been forcing players out of the club. Harsh tactics but a manager/head coach lives or dies by his results thus having players you want is important.
It should be remembered that former players at Southampton and Espanyol moaned that if you weren't in the Pochettino inner circle you were just left. Implement his tactics as he asks and you'll get in, it's quite simple.
We are all aware a stadium is around the corner and money will be tight so the club has to be in a position where it is not trying to buy a team during the initial years, that means having the playing staff how we want it and developing the youth. It is that that is the key as to why players have been isolated, for our future we can't afford to have them here. We have to have a settled team growing together in a position to challenge for the Champions League spots.
We have scored more goals but we have let in a lot too, far, far too many with daft individual errors, the number we have conceded inside our own box, where the defender hasn't bothered to clear the ball but tried to shield it for instance. Harry Kane, Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason, Danny Rose, Eric Dier have all been success stories, Nacer Chadli and Christian Eriksen have produced in periods while Hugo Lloris has been top drawer again. We have a young nucleus to build around.
We finished 5th in the table, reached a cup final and secured European football while we took stock, I'd say, being realistic and understanding the constraints we work under, that was a good first year.
We have restructured the football side of Tottenham off the field which incorporates a new team assessing our transfer targets.Tthis will be the first chance for Pochettino to delve into the transfer market and piece together a squad. Austrian centre-back Kevin Wimmer we know is the first arrival, having confirmed it himself to the German paper Bild.
Brad Friedel retires, which frees up a non home-grown player berth in the squad. Emmanuel Adebayor, Younes Kaboul and Etienne Capoue should all leave and free up three more. Paulinho, Vlad Chiriches and Roberto Soldado should join them taking the total to seven. If Cristian Ceballos departs, he is in the first team squad but hasn't figured, then the non home-grown berths available rises to eight. This is exactly where I have been suggesting we need to plan ahead for the last 2 years.
The strategy Daniel levy had, which he made the mistake of deviating from, is back in place and thus Pochettino is here for the long haul to transform the playing side. We can't afford to change managers while building a new stadium, a new boss would have little money to spend. It is clear then he will b backed, and has been, within that strategy to build a footballing future.
The first year of that is always hard as it's an assessment and dismantling year, piecing back together with only the required components. To achieve 5th, a cup final and European football with a limited squad is an achievement and if he has managed to force certain players out of the club then it's been an even more successful year.
It is a time to look forward with optimism, stage one successfully completed, on to stage two.
Post a Comment