The Mauricio Pochettino thread

[St José Dominguez]

Okay, strength in depth. We play with 3 AMs right? Outside the usual three, Moura, Lamela, Sissoko. 3 positions, 6 internationals.

We play with 2 cms right? Outside the main 2, we have winks, Wanyama. 2 positions, 4 internationals.

We play with 4 defenders left to right. Behind them? Rose, Foyth, Alderweireld and Aurier. 4 positions, 7 internationals and one youth international.

In goal? Vorm as back up. 1 position, 2 internationals.

Up front? Behind the worlds best striker? World Cup winning target man llorente. 1 position, 1 international.

Bash levy all you want, but our current squad of 22 first choice to semi regulars contains 21 international footballers, most of whom are either emerging towards or already in their prime. Of all the nations they represent, only Kenya can be described as a lesser footballing nation.

Levy has plenty of flaws, but a squad with that array of international footballers is not assembled by an unambitious man. If you doubt some of their quality that’s fine, but that’s a criticism or the manager and scouts who wants identify those players, not the man who’s sole job is to get the best deal on those the manager and scouts identify.

I'd prefer this squad you've listed even though you've got Sissoko as a back up than the squad we could end up with that won't include Toby and Rose and could include a bunch of panic buys.

 

[St José Dominguez]

Who? And how much?

Who? Well I'm not a scout so can't really answer that. After everything he's done for us I don't think it would have been an unrealistic expectation to give Poch a player without having to worry about clawing it back through sales or worrying if we'll get enough for N'Koudou to free up a non HG slot. How much? Well i haven't got access to our bank accounts so maybe we genuinely don't have any funds before sales.

 

[dtxspurs]

I'd prefer this squad you've listed even though you've got Sissoko as a back up than the squad we could end up with that won't include Toby and Rose and could include a bunch of panic buys.

Yeah, thats a big issue here. We're talking about selling 3 players that would make up my current best 11, well actually probably 2 in Rose & Toby.

 

[Nebby]

Who? Well I'm not a scout so can't really answer that. After everything he's done for us I don't think it would have been an unrealistic expectation to give Poch a player without having to worry about clawing it back through sales or worrying if we'll get enough for N'Koudou to free up a non HG slot. How much? Well i haven't got access to our bank accounts so maybe we genuinely don't have any funds before sales.

Precisely. Like the rest of us, you have no idea what’s going on. Truth is there are some players we can afford and there are some players we can’t. And if we’re now in a contest with Chelsea for Zaha and Grealish, we’re gonna lose.

 

[St José Dominguez]

Precisely. Like the rest of us, you have no idea what’s going on. Truth is there are some players we can afford and there are some players we can’t. And if we’re now in a contest with Chelsea for Zaha and Grealish, we’re gonna lose.

I can use history to judge exactly what's going on though. We spend what we earn through sales, thinks it's abundantly clear our transfer budget was going to be made up of Toby and Dembele sales and a few other fringe players. Those not occurring have meant we haven't signed anyone.

I accepted the way we operate a long time ago, for some stupid reason with the increase in season ticket prices and revenue I thought maybe, just maybe we'd give Poch one guy and not worry where that money was coming from. If it stays like this I'll just go back to accepting how things are, it's fine.

 

[DFF]

Okay, strength in depth. We play with 3 AMs right? Outside the usual three, Moura, Lamela, Sissoko. 3 positions, 6 internationals.

We play with 2 cms right? Outside the main 2, we have winks, Wanyama. 2 positions, 4 internationals.

We play with 4 defenders left to right. Behind them? Rose, Foyth, Alderweireld and Aurier. 4 positions, 7 internationals and one youth international.

In goal? Vorm as back up. 1 position, 2 internationals.

Up front? Behind the worlds best striker? World Cup winning target man llorente. 1 position, 1 international.

Bash levy all you want, but our current squad of 22 first choice to semi regulars contains 21 international footballers, most of whom are either emerging towards or already in their prime. Of all the nations they represent, only Kenya can be described as a lesser footballing nation.

Levy has plenty of flaws, but a squad with that array of international footballers is not assembled by an unambitious man. If you doubt some of their quality that’s fine, but that’s a criticism or the manager and scouts who wants identify those players, not the man who’s sole job is to get the best deal on those the manager and scouts identify.

Once you factor in injury history/concerns, that paragraph alone has made his point. We need reinforcements at least.

 

[SpartanSpur]

Okay, strength in depth. We play with 3 AMs right? Outside the usual three, Moura, Lamela POOR INJURY RECORD, Sissoko POSSIBLY GOING. 3 positions, 6 internationals.

We play with 2 cms right? Outside the main 2, we have winks BIG INJURY CONCERNS, Wanyama BIG INJURY CONCERNS. 2 positions, 4 internationals.

We play with 4 defenders left to right. Behind them? Rose GOING, Foyth ZERO PL EXPERIENCE, Alderweireld GOING and Aurier. 4 positions, 7 internationals and one youth international.

In goal? Vorm as back up. 1 position, 2 internationals.

Up front? Behind the worlds best striker? World Cup winning target man llorente GOING. 1 position, 1 international.

I've added some notes to your list. All the players marked as going are players it's clear Poch would happily do without and are clearly being touted around.

You can see why some of us are worrying about the depth at the end of this window, especially considering what a meal we've made of the Grealish transfer and the fact only 6 days remain. I'm much more confident those players go out than come in. The only difference in opinion comes down to the amount of faith each person has in Levy to achieve in 6 days what we've failed to do all summer.

Poch's comments worry me much more than our squad right now on paper (which I agree is still strong) anyway. Do you really think the likes of Kane and Eriksen (quality and ambitious players) would shrug off a bad transfer window (where we likely come out weaker than we started) as easily as some in here?

I do have some faith in Levy but I can't see how anyone isn't a little bit worried how things are panning out considering all the above.

 

[Nebby]

I can use history to judge exactly what's going on though. We spend what we earn through sales, thinks it's abundantly clear our transfer budget was going to be made up of Toby and Dembele sales and a few other fringe players. Those not occurring have meant we haven't signed anyone.

I accepted the way we operate a long time ago, for some stupid reason with the increase in season ticket prices and revenue I thought maybe, just maybe we'd give Poch one guy and not worry where that money was coming from. If it stays like this I'll just go back to accepting how things are, it's fine.

The next big step, real step, would be to win the PL, right? We can win a cup or finish top four with what we’ve got, and there really ain’t that much difference between 2nd and 4th. So to make that jump we need a calibre of player (or players) we probably wouldn’t get a free run at. We should be looking at developments or buying and developing players like Dele. I’d argue that Poch knows this and won’t go throwing his toys out of the pram if we sign zilch this window.

 

[St José Dominguez]

The next big step, real step, would be to win the PL, right? We can win a cup or finish top four with what we’ve got, and there really ain’t that much difference between 2nd and 4th. So to make that jump we need a calibre of player (or players) we probably wouldn’t get a free run at. We should be looking at developments or buying and developing players like Dele. I’d argue that Poch knows this and won’t go throwing his toys out of the pram if we sign zilch this window.

I think the market has changed too much to even pick up a Dele again. Every man and his dog is worth 30m these days.

We've hit a brick wall in terms of progression now and theres no way through it the way we operate in my opinion.

I'd love a cup though, we're more than capable of achieving that. In terms of aspiring to win a title we are many, many years away from entering a season aiming for that. For me our starting 11 was worse last year than year before, this year it could be just par as Toby barely played. I just hope Poch and the players are more patient than fans.

 

[Johnny J]

Can you name one club or Manager that hasn’t made cock ups with players he bought ?

Ofc not. My point was that he's clearly not too picky.

 

[George94]

Burnley have agreed a fee of £15m for Ben Gibson - we're soon to be the only club in the league without a single signing

 

[Tarnished]

Precisely. Like the rest of us, you have no idea what’s going on. Truth is there are some players we can afford and there are some players we can’t. And if we’re now in a contest with Chelsea for Zaha and Grealish, we’re gonna lose.

Would have to agree 100% with your first sentence. It’s indisputable fact that I, like many others do not have a Sccoby about what’s going on.

Less sure about the last sentence. Are we really up against the Chelsea of old that nicked Willian? Coming off a poor season with no Champions League, a new manager, flagging team spirit, new ground project stopped, uncertainty surrounding some of their star players and the bank roll looking like it’s rolling away in the general direction of the West Bank so will they be paying big bucks on transfers? You would think that Tottenham should look a little more appealing.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I've added some notes to your list. All the players marked as going are players it's clear Poch would happily do without and are clearly being touted around.

You can see why some of us are worrying about the depth at the end of this window, especially considering what a meal we've made of the Grealish transfer and the fact only 6 days remain. I'm much more confident those players go out than come in. The only difference in opinion comes down to the amount of faith each person has in Levy to achieve in 6 days what we've failed to do all summer.

Poch's comments worry me much more than our squad right now on paper (which I agree is still strong) anyway. Do you really think the likes of Kane and Eriksen (quality and ambitious players) would shrug off a bad transfer window (where we likely come out weaker than we started) as easily as some in here?

I do have some faith in Levy but I can't see how anyone isn't a little bit worried how things are panning out considering all the above.

All your footnotes are things which can’t inanyway be attributed to levy lacking ambition. My post was merely to demonstrate that this boring argument of our chairman not being ambitious enough and not backing the manager is false. In fact, every note you added is actually a Pochettino mistake, not a Levy mistake.

Pochettino chose Winks as the one purely untested academy player he would champion. Pochettino wanted Wanyama, Sissoko, Foyth and Llorente (see his comments upon signing Fernando). And Pochettino used Llorente so little that he’d always look awful when he did have a chance, so now he wants him out. Pochettino also wants Toby and Rose out, and Pochettino deemed Lamela the man around whom his revolution would be built.

You may call my arguments simplistic, I say that accusing Levy of not backing the manager based on this window so far is more simplistic. I’d also say that, you can’t base opinions on players who are hypothetically leaving but in the same breath criticise lack of signings, because much like we’ve yet to buy anyone, we’re also yet to sell anyone.

 

[DFF]

As much as I think Levy is a brilliant chairman, he is heavily reliant on Poch wringing every last drop out of lesser resources than the other teams around us.

Would I love for Poch to keep pulling a rabbit out of the hat every season? Of course. Do I think it’ll happen indefinitely? No, hence the need to back him with some players he’s actually wanted for years (Zaha), and less punts on players he didn’t specifically ask for (Sissoko).

 

[DFF]

Pochettino chose Winks as the one purely untested academy player he would champion. Pochettino wanted Wanyama, Sissoko, Foyth and Llorente (see his comments upon signing Fernando). And Pochettino used Llorente so little that he’d always look awful when he did have a chance, so now he wants him out. Pochettino also wants Toby and Rose out, and Pochettino deemed Lamela the man around whom his revolution would be built.

You may call my arguments simplistic, I say that accusing Levy of not backing the manager based on this window so far is more simplistic. I’d also say that, you can’t base opinions on players who are hypothetically leaving but in the same breath criticise lack of signings, because much like we’ve yet to buy anyone, we’re also yet to sell anyone.

No he fucking didn’t.

 

[chinaman]

No he fucking didn’t.

Agree with you re Siss. Poch said something like he came back from vacation to find that Levy had sign Siss and thought that Poch could make a better player out of him.

As regards Pochs comment son players like Llorente, we haven't heard Poch publicly belittling any player, unlike Maureen. Poch is a very nice and diplomatic man and would always toe the Club's line in public. That doesn't prove he wanted those players.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

No he fucking didn’t.

Just going on what itk, including JJ, said at the time.
Considering how many minutes Sissoko gets from Pochettino, a manager certainly not afraid to ostracise high earning players if he doesn’t fancy them, I’m inclined to stick to my guns on this one

 

[dtxspurs]

Burnley have agreed a fee of £15m for Ben Gibson - we're soon to be the only club in the league without a single signing

And agreed a fee for Joe Hart... another HG goalie.

 

[DFF]

Just going on what itk, including JJ, said at the time.
Considering how many minutes Sissoko gets from Pochettino, a manager certainly not afraid to ostracise high earning players if he doesn’t fancy them, I’m inclined to stick to my guns on this one

Ok well I’m going on Poch’s own book, so ner...

 

[muppetman]

And agreed a fee for Joe Hart... another HG goalie.

Are we concerned that we haven't signed Joe Hart? I know there have been comments about the need for home grown players but fucking hell - Joe Hart???????