Mentality

[Bus-Conductor]

I don't really get people questioning our mentality, it's probably the biggest collective reason we are doing as well as we are doing. I know things felt a bit shit after Saturday, but a few weeks ago we took a Chelsea side on a record winning run, who have swept all before them for months apart, a team who'd fucked our title charge last season, and with all that pressure on we out performed them.

I'm disappointed with Pochettino for the Liverpool and ManC games, but I think the away record against all the top 6, isn't great for most of the top 6, and I don't think we were terrible away to Arsenal, Chelsea or ManU. We didn't deserve to lose the Chelsea or ManU games and deserved to win the Arsenal one I think.

The mentality of this team definitely exceeds it's actual talent IMO, and that mentality largely comes from Pochettino. Tactically he makes mistakes (they all do) but the mentality he's brought to this group is better than any Spurs group I've ever watched.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

We take in more money than Borussia Dortmund. How do they manage to be so good (genuine question)? Could we learn something from them?

They are 4th, 15 points behind 1st and 8 points behind second in a less competitive league.

They do have a good academy and a good transfer policy, but so do we and they have also signed flops in the last few years (Immobile, Ramos, Kampl and to an extent Schrurrle so far)

Don't get me wrong they have done well in 5 of the last 7 years, but they only have 1 team with the financial muscle and pull which 4 of the teams in our league have.

Just to add, in German terms they are also (or were last time I looked 2016 D&T audit) by a long way Germany's second wealthiest club (80m turnover more than next best Schalke and at least 100m better than the next).

 

[thfc1973]

The mentality of this team definitely exceeds it's actual talent IMO, and that mentality largely comes from Pochettino. Tactically he makes mistakes (they all do) but the mentality he's brought to this group is better than any Spurs group I've ever watched.

I actually think its the reverse. That's our problem imo and I think Poch is not doing enough to strengthen our winning mentality. The group of players we currently have are some of the best we've had in years in the same team and at the same time, but to me it looks like somehow that talent is not harnessed enough and driven by the winning mentality. Those are the 2 factors missing I think.

 

[spurslenny]

The analogy I would use to best sum up my opinion on these players is this....

You're a reasonable golfer, 10 handicapper for example. You're out playing one day, and playing really well,better than your handicap suggests even, and maybe even on for the round of your life. Then you get to the 14th tee, and suddenly think to yourself 'holy fuck! I'm playing out of my skin here!'. And guess what happens next? Your game goes to shit, hook the tee shot straight out of bounds, and never recover from it carding a pathetic score that never looked like happening.

This is Spurs. We roll along, winning games, beating better teams, getting to 2nd in the league on the back of 14 unbeaten, then we fold.

 

[Drink!Drink!]

Two games in a row our opponents have worked harder than us, and clearly wanted to win more than us.

Worrying

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

They're all mental, that's for sure.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

“Sir Alex Ferguson taught me to understand that winning has to be normal for me. If I didn’t give my all in training, then the managers wouldn’t notice me and I couldn’t get their respect.

“Ferguson was amazing, as the players were afraid of getting hurt! They knew if they got a pass wrong, then later in the locker room they’d have to be careful! Even before an Arsenal game his team talk was ‘don’t ruin my Sunday.’

http://www.football-italia.net/65043/evra-serie-so-tough

 

[Bus-Conductor]

“Sir Alex Ferguson taught me to understand that winning has to be normal for me. If I didn’t give my all in training, then the managers wouldn’t notice me and I couldn’t get their respect.

“Ferguson was amazing, as the players were afraid of getting hurt! They knew if they got a pass wrong, then later in the locker room they’d have to be careful! Even before an Arsenal game his team talk was ‘don’t ruin my Sunday.’

http://www.football-italia.net/65043/evra-serie-so-tough

“In football you never stop learning. I knew a bit about Juve and its history, but it was a shock for me. I heard Zinedine Zidane say he threw up after the first training session, but I thought it was a legend. It wasn’t.

“Coach Max Allegri asked every day how I was and I’d reply: ‘For the moment I am still alive.’ I have never trained so hard in my entire life.

“I heard many people say Serie A is easy. You might think that when you’re outside, but now I’m there, it’s absolutely not true.

“The difference is that in England football is like two boxers and the first to get tired loses the match. In Italy the tactics are fundamental and I remember even at 17 thinking all the Italian teams were so well-prepared.

“An English player can come to Italy and do badly, just as an Italian can, but you have to be intelligent enough to realise they are different Leagues.”


I actually think things are starting to change since this was said but I've also heard people like James Scowcroft and other football journalists say that Italian tactical coached application is still streets ahead of England, your quote from Fazio another example.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

“In football you never stop learning. I knew a bit about Juve and its history, but it was a shock for me. I heard Zinedine Zidane say he threw up after the first training session, but I thought it was a legend. It wasn’t.

“Coach Max Allegri asked every day how I was and I’d reply: ‘For the moment I am still alive.’ I have never trained so hard in my entire life.

“I heard many people say Serie A is easy. You might think that when you’re outside, but now I’m there, it’s absolutely not true.

“The difference is that in England football is like two boxers and the first to get tired loses the match. In Italy the tactics are fundamental and I remember even at 17 thinking all the Italian teams were so well-prepared.

“An English player can come to Italy and do badly, just as an Italian can, but you have to be intelligent enough to realise they are different Leagues.”


I actually think things are starting to change since this was said but I've also heard people like James Scowcroft and other football journalists say that Italian tactical coached application is still streets ahead of England, your quote from Fazio another example.

Eden Hazard's quotes about the difference between Mourinho and Conte's attitude towards tactics is also illuminating (if he can be believed).

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Eden Hazard's quotes about the difference between Mourinho and Conte's attitude towards tactics is also illuminating (if he can be believed).

What did he say ?

 

[jonathanhotspur]

What did he say ?

Hazard says a key element in Conte's success has been how well he has drilled his players within the new system, and admits that even Mourinho -- who has gained a reputation for meticulously preparing his teams over the past 15 years -- does not pay as much attention to detail.

Asked by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to identify the main difference between working for Conte and Mourinho, Hazard told Sky Sports: "Tactical training. We do more with Conte. We know exactly what to do on the pitch, where I have to go, the defenders [know] where they have to go.

"With Mourinho it was just he put the system [in place], but we didn't work a lot [on it]. We know what to do because we play football, but maybe the automatism was a little bit different."

Hazard enjoys greater freedom as a forward in Conte's 3-4-3 than as a winger in the 4-2-3-1 that Mourinho employed at Chelsea, and says his defensive duties do not involve tracking opposition full-backs so much.

"With Mourinho in the first season, when we won the title, [Nemanja] Matic was behind me," he added. "Sometimes I stayed in front and Matic did the job. With Conte it's different -- I close more inside because [Marcus] Alonso is there. I just need to be ready to counterattack when we get the ball."

The 25-year-old also says his new role has helped mature his understanding of the game.

"We know that to create movement I have to not even get the ball, but to create movement and space for others," he explained. "I think now I understand that football is not only with the ball at my feet. It's good to get the ball at my feet but sometimes I need to go deep, to go at the goal."

http://www.espnfc.com/chelsea/story...actical-preparation-better-than-jose-mourinho

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Hazard says a key element in Conte's success has been how well he has drilled his players within the new system, and admits that even Mourinho -- who has gained a reputation for meticulously preparing his teams over the past 15 years -- does not pay as much attention to detail.

Asked by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to identify the main difference between working for Conte and Mourinho, Hazard told Sky Sports: "Tactical training. We do more with Conte. We know exactly what to do on the pitch, where I have to go, the defenders [know] where they have to go.

"With Mourinho it was just he put the system [in place], but we didn't work a lot [on it]. We know what to do because we play football, but maybe the automatism was a little bit different."

Hazard enjoys greater freedom as a forward in Conte's 3-4-3 than as a winger in the 4-2-3-1 that Mourinho employed at Chelsea, and says his defensive duties do not involve tracking opposition full-backs so much.

"With Mourinho in the first season, when we won the title, [Nemanja] Matic was behind me," he added. "Sometimes I stayed in front and Matic did the job. With Conte it's different -- I close more inside because [Marcus] Alonso is there. I just need to be ready to counterattack when we get the ball."

The 25-year-old also says his new role has helped mature his understanding of the game.

"We know that to create movement I have to not even get the ball, but to create movement and space for others," he explained. "I think now I understand that football is not only with the ball at my feet. It's good to get the ball at my feet but sometimes I need to go deep, to go at the goal."

http://www.espnfc.com/chelsea/story...actical-preparation-better-than-jose-mourinho

I think Conte's a great coach, possibly better tactically than Mourinho, we shall see, but it's no secret Hazard fell out with Mourinho - who openly criticised Hazard (inc after a high profile CL game if I remember correctly) so I guess we have factor that in to whatever Hazard says.

 

[rocklink]

The problem is tactical , not mental !!

 

[jonnie83]

Conte also has more time between games to prepare. Will be interesting to see what happens next season when they are back in Europe

 

[spurslenny]

The problem is tactical , not mental !!

It's both imo

 

[DIEHARD]

It's both imo

I agree and think they both go hand in hand. You need the mentality to implement the tactics but the players need to be comfortable with the system to implement them.

I think it is mentality tho that when we get a good win we suddenly play below par in the following few games eg man city then the seven games following that and think WBA and then the few games now. There is also the away performance issue at the teams we are competing against but do think some of that is down to tactics. I do refuse to believe Poch is telling them to misplace passes or not press properly.