The Mauricio Pochettino thread

[Hazelton]

This team doesn't look like it has Pochettino's stamp on it at the moment. Everything he and the team have become known for - the pressing, the quick passing, the fearlessness - has been absent recently. It's hard to understand when we're the complete opposite in the Champions League. I've never known a team to go through a "blip" like this and still manage to beat the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. It's a weird time right now but I have faith in him and the team.

 

[knowlespurs]

Dele and Sissoko both fired one-on-ones at the keeper, Eriksen and Llorente both missed the target from six yards - Kane too although no one seems in a rush to mention that - and Rose was blatantly fouled in the box. Meanwhile, Leicester scored two wondergoals after individual mistakes gave them space. Not sure what Poch can do about that.

yeh but mate we have been crap this season
so many dross performances, Palace, west brom, burnley, Bournemouth, Scum, Man U
I think on performances some players should have been dropped but he is playing Dele and Eriksen it seems no matter what, Son is in and out of the team yet gives us something different and when he plays tends to score

 

[daryl hannah]

This team doesn't look like it has Pochettino's stamp on it at the moment. Everything he and the team have become known for - the pressing, the quick passing, the fearlessness - has been absent recently. It's hard to understand when we're the complete opposite in the Champions League. I've never known a team to go through a "blip" like this and still manage to beat the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. It's a weird time right now but I have faith in him and the team.

I try not to treat feelings as facts it feels like something's going on behind the scenes. Poch in interviews isn't his usual happy go lucky self - it may be because we are losing and drawing and no longer have a shot at the title - which is after all, his ambition. It may be that he's sick of spouting the same lines week after week in multiple draining interviews.

But last night, he berated the team performance which, I don't remember him doing before. He actually admitted we were poor and sloppy, without putting on the positive spin of 'we create many many chance'.

I really hope he has the toughness to get through this tough patch rather than throwing in the towel like AVB did.

 

[thePessimist]

I try not to treat feelings as facts it feels like something's going on behind the scenes. Poch in interviews isn't his usual happy go lucky self - it may be because we are losing and drawing and no longer have a shot at the title - which is after all, his ambition. It may be that he's sick of spouting the same lines week after week in multiple draining interviews.

But last night, he berated the team performance which, I don't remember him doing before. He actually admitted we were poor and sloppy, without putting on the positive spin of 'we create many many chance'.

I really hope he has the toughness to get through this tough patch rather than throwing in the towel like AVB did.

I get the same feeling. Hopefully not right...

 

[dagraham]

This team doesn't look like it has Pochettino's stamp on it at the moment. Everything he and the team have become known for - the pressing, the quick passing, the fearlessness - has been absent recently. It's hard to understand when we're the complete opposite in the Champions League. I've never known a team to go through a "blip" like this and still manage to beat the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. It's a weird time right now but I have faith in him and the team.

Both of those teams play open football giving us miles of space to operate in. Guardiola said once that if you give us space we’re the best team in the league and he’s not far wrong. Problem is teams will slowly figure this out ( if they haven’t already).

Last year we couldn’t find a way to sit back and hurt teams on the counter and we’ve adjusted that successfully this season.

This is another test, but one I fear can’t just be solved on the training ground. Put simply, we don’t have enough technically proficient and creative players who can play quick passing when closed down. Eriksen in particular is nullified when teams crowd him out. Lamela will help, but it’s not enough imo.

We also don’t have any players who can run with the ball, break the lines and get these stubborn defences out of position.

These were all things that I and many other fans picked up on during the summer and the lack of these players is hurting us now. It’s not all about pace over the top. Pace and trickery with the ball is useful against bus parkers too.

 

[spursfan77]

This team doesn't look like it has Pochettino's stamp on it at the moment. Everything he and the team have become known for - the pressing, the quick passing, the fearlessness - has been absent recently. It's hard to understand when we're the complete opposite in the Champions League. I've never known a team to go through a "blip" like this and still manage to beat the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. It's a weird time right now but I have faith in him and the team.

Thats why it makes me think its the players who aren't being 100% motivated for the smaller teams and he's got to find a way of getting through to them, which I hope he will as he has done before (eg. after the Newcastle 5 1 defeat).

I don't want to overreact to his return, but Poch has kind of intimated that Lamela was the first player to cotton on to his ideas and can give the team the energy that it requires in the final third. Its going to take a while for him to build match fitness but if he can even get back to 75/80% of the level he can get to then it could be the boost the team and manager needs to add a bit on impetus to the side.

If he can't get back to being nearly the same player, then its imperative that we get someone in during January (however unlikely that may be, as I don't believe we will unless its Barkley) who can push for a first team place and also get wanyama back fit as well to drive the team on and win the ball.

 

[mattdefoe]

I think this season seems to be in standby mode . The focus has been so huge on Wembley. next season we will go full tilt for the title and i just know we will come up short and poch will walk, I'm hoping otherwise

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

As others have alluded to - we need to get back to pressing, outworking and outfighting teams. Nothing to do with players, formations etc... we just need to get back to what made a us a good team in the first place. We just seemed to have dropped off and become complacent.

I'm pretty sure Poch be working on getting us back to the hard running, hard pressing team that he expects. Nothing to worry about.

 

[jurgen]

As others have alluded to - we need to get back to pressing, outworking and outfighting teams. Nothing to do with players, formations etc... we just need to get back to what made a us a good team in the first place. We just seemed to have dropped off and become complacent.

I'm pretty sure Poch be working on getting us back to the hard running, hard pressing team that he expects. Nothing to worry about.

You can see where the logic came from, as we ran out of steam in the past due to working so hard, and we don't have a squad as large as our competitors to be able to plough through that.. but we've been so lackadaisical at times this season that its all a little pointless conserving energy for the end of the race if we're too far behind to make it count.

 

[shoggy33]

Both of those teams play open football giving us miles of space to operate in. Guardiola said once that if you give us space we’re the best team in the league and he’s not far wrong. Problem is teams will slowly figure this out ( if they haven’t already).

Last year we couldn’t find a way to sit back and hurt teams on the counter and we’ve adjusted that successfully this season.

This is another test, but one I fear can’t just be solved on the training ground. Put simply, we don’t have enough technically proficient and creative players who can play quick passing when closed down. Eriksen in particular is nullified when teams crowd him out. Lamela will help, but it’s not enough imo.

We also don’t have any players who can run with the ball, break the lines and get these stubborn defences out of position.

These were all things that I and many other fans picked up on during the summer and the lack of these players is hurting us now. It’s not all about pace over the top. Pace and trickery with the ball is useful against bus parkers too.

Teams have been parking the bus against us for years, on the whole we seemed to have worked how to play against those sides last year with the same group of players. Weve never had the players to break through the lines, but we used to win it back and attack so quickly that the opposition had no time to set up, leaving Alli and Eriksen in space to do their thing. For whatever reason we arent doing that anymore, i think its mainly a midfield problem but Walker missing probably doesnt help.

 

[dagraham]

Teams have been parking the bus against us for years, on the whole we seemed to have worked how to play against those sides last year with the same group of players. Weve never had the players to break through the lines, but we used to win it back and attack so quickly that the opposition had no time to set up, leaving Alli and Eriksen in space to do their thing. For whatever reason we arent doing that anymore, i think its mainly a midfield problem but Walker missing probably doesnt help.

Yeah that’s a fair point and no doubt a big part of out form this season is starting every game like it’s a testimonial.

 

[Krafty]

Looks like Poch could do with a day off to clear the mind, clear the formation board, and start again.

With several high quality centre backs, good depth in that position and some success (mainly in Europe) with 3 at the back, coupled with our other best players being Kane, Alli and Eriksen, we have ended up with a real issue in central midfield, where games are won and lost.

We have ended up playing a kind of 5-1-Sissoko-3. We don't have enough men up the pitch to press effectively, there isnt the cover in central midfield to give the attackers to press, and the wing backs have no support either offensively nor defensively so don't bomb forward AND leave the three centre backs exposed.

Whether three or four at the back, we need two central midfielders (at least). Unfortunately, with Winks and Dembele's injury/illness issues, Dier being played in the back line, and neither Eriksen or Alli really wanting to play a classical central midfielder role, we don't have enough options in that area (hence why Sissoko has played so, so much)

 

[danielneeds]

This team doesn't look like it has Pochettino's stamp on it at the moment. Everything he and the team have become known for - the pressing, the quick passing, the fearlessness - has been absent recently. It's hard to understand when we're the complete opposite in the Champions League. I've never known a team to go through a "blip" like this and still manage to beat the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. It's a weird time right now but I have faith in him and the team.

The pressing hasn’t been as intense for over a year now. Poch realised that it wasn’t sustainable long term in my opinion. Especially this year with CL and that draining Wembley pitch.

 

[Trix]

The pressing hasn’t been as intense for over a year now. Poch realised that it wasn’t sustainable long term in my opinion. Especially this year with CL and that draining Wembley pitch.

And it isn't if you just play with the same 14-15 players even when you have injuries. Once injuries hit it becomes a case that same players have to play every game and we can't sustain that intense pressing game with such a small usable squad. We have improved the squad since then though, and yet still the only rotations seem to be at FB and Son playing here and there when we make a formation shift. Lamela being fit and "ready to play now" should mean we can rotate Dele and Eriksen, and imo we should be looking at bringing Foyth in allowing Dier to cover for Wanyama's absence against weaker(attacking wise) teams. That way when Toby is back Foyth would be able to rotate with the three CB's as well.

I am a big admirer of MP but as things stand there is little point in bringing in any additions if he is still going to only use the same small core squad of players to pick from.

 

[Trix]

I would also add i'm very disappointed in how Poch has used Llorente. I was made up in the Summer that we brought in a proven Premier league striker that has shown throughout his career he is a quality player that will score goals anywhere. I'm quite sure that when he came in as a back up to Kane that he had no idea he was going to need to play as a Kane clone in order to get chances. Trippier Aurier, Davies and Erikse all have a good delivery of the ball from wide area's and yet when Llorente comes on we still try to play through the middle. It's hardly a surprise that his confidence is dropping by the game.

If we are going to play him then we have to play in some part to his strengths, we can't expect at 32 for him to be able to change his game to play in a completely different way to the rest of his career.

 

[Univarn]

And it isn't if you just play with the same 14-15 players even when you have injuries. Once injuries hit it becomes a case that same players have to play every game and we can't sustain that intense pressing game with such a small usable squad. We have improved the squad since then though, and yet still the only rotations seem to be at FB and Son playing here and there when we make a formation shift. Lamela being fit and "ready to play now" should mean we can rotate Dele and Eriksen, and imo we should be looking at bringing Foyth in allowing Dier to cover for Wanyama's absence against weaker(attacking wise) teams. That way when Toby is back Foyth would be able to rotate with the three CB's as well.

I am a big admirer of MP but as things stand there is little point in bringing in any additions if he is still going to only use the same small core squad of players to pick from.

My own personal two hopes for our window were CB depth if we're going with a back 3 and Eriksen rotation. I suspect Lamela can do the latter somewhat but mainly in certain situations and is probably besr suited to games like yesterday where it is a bit scrappy and we're putting everyone forward. The CB depth I thought we solved in Sanchez and Foyth freeing up Dier to DM backup. I knew Foyth was young but I figured we would keep CCV as a true 4th CB option and let him learn and play alongside Toby and Jan rather than Wimmer. When CCV left on loan (which is probably for the best long term) I started to get worried about our options if we really want the 3CB setup all season. Some of our worst form last year came during Jan and Toby's sideline and Poch's falling out/unwillingness to use CCV or Wimmer. Poch has used Foyth similarly to CCV in terms of only early cup games and immediately vanishing from gametime after a failed cup game which highlighted his inexperience. Wamyama's injury to me should mean more gametime for Foyth either in CB or as a CB/DM hybrid like Dier.

 

[knowlespurs]

I would also add i'm very disappointed in how Poch has used Llorente. I was made up in the Summer that we brought in a proven Premier league striker that has shown throughout his career he is a quality player that will score goals anywhere. I'm quite sure that when he came in as a back up to Kane that he had no idea he was going to need to play as a Kane clone in order to get chances. Trippier Aurier, Davies and Erikse all have a good delivery of the ball from wide area's and yet when Llorente comes on we still try to play through the middle. It's hardly a surprise that his confidence is dropping by the game.

If we are going to play him then we have to play in some part to his strengths, we can't expect at 32 for him to be able to change his game to play in a completely different way to the rest of his career.

he has to take his share of the blame though, he has missed some big and easy chances
agreed with how we use him though, we seem when he is on just to hit diagonal balls for him to knock down, when his goals at Swansea were normally headers from crosses from wide players, that we dont play with
Seems an odd signing to buy him then not play to his strengths

 

[riggi]

4th and fa cup should be the focus now.

 

[nicdic]

Pretty sure we're doing better than at this stage of last season. We typically struggle around this time, before picking up in December and January.

 

[E17yid]

4th and fa cup should be the focus now.

I think Lloris pretty much said that after the Arsenal or Brom game.

4th is going to go down to the wire but was always going to be difficult what with Wembley and shit.