- Aug 24, 2013
- 1,521
- 7,874
I am going to be controversial and say I don't care who plays on Saturday.
Poch's entire success has been built around a complete squad ethos. There is an underlying philosophy and whomever is called upon is expected to step up. Obviously things have gone pear shaped of late, but he has been pretty vocal about the coming issues long before they actually occurred. But when things have been right with Poch's approach they have never been better.
It's just not his way to follow up on a success like yesterday by sticking to those 11 players week in week out, and in doing so sideline the likes of Eriksen, Alderwiereld, Aurier etc. And I agree with him. Yes, it might help us win on Saturday, but in terms of making this season a success he needs to find a way to get the best out of all these key players who, particularly with Eriksen, is in a really bad place right now.
Eriksen looks like he couldn't give a shit, but I think there is much more to it than that. Really he looks completely shot of any confidence. For him personally this must have been an incredibly hard few months. He went from the highs of the Champions League semi-final, on top of the world, the most consistent playmaker in the world's best league for a number of years, then he announced his intention to look for a new challenge to try and fulfill his spanish dream fully expecting suitors to line up and it has been an astonishingly brutal fall for him since then. He is not throwing his toys around, he has just been through a very shattering period in his life and is likely in a very low place.
The problems we have faced this season are rooted in a fracturing of squad harmony, the key element to Poch's success. Yes, these fractures have either been caused or exacerbated by these players with contract issues or seemingly wanting out. But Poch's fix will never be and would never be to sideline these players, to choose the same starting 11 every week and essentially ostracise half the squad.
Of course for us fans, we have been longing for a performance like last night's for months, finally we get some relief and it is only natural that we clammer for more of the same. Finally we have our Spurs back, so for god sake why regress, just stick with this team! But this completely goes against everything Poch stands for. His solution is regaining the squad harmony, picking the same 11 week in week out does the opposite. Just think Harry Redknapp.
Pochettino has not lost this group of players, they took him out for dinner when the pressure was building. He has not lost his man management skills - just look at how brilliantly he handled the situation with Son. To get from the red card at Everton, to seeing Poch walk Son out to the away fans last night, after the others had left the pitch, that is quite something in four days. It is and will always be about the collective with this manager. Give your all for the collective, show intent and commitment in training and you are part of the team, if not the starting 11.
And since we know that this is Poch's approach, we could look at yesterday's performance as a sign that this whole squad is starting to find it's mojo again, not that Poch has found the right starting 11. There will be changes on Saturday. Verts and Alderweireld and Aurier and Winks will all still keep featuring. Gradually they will find form and over the course of this season we will badly need them at times. The likes of Lo Ceslo, Ndombele and Sessegnon will continue to be pushed, challenged and benched. Poch will continue to play Eriksen, continue to support him and try and bring him out of this slump. He knows that yesterday was just a blip if he can't get this whole squad united behind his vision again... personally I think he will, and in my opinion a big part of that is because he won't be playing the same starting 11 on saturday.
Poch's entire success has been built around a complete squad ethos. There is an underlying philosophy and whomever is called upon is expected to step up. Obviously things have gone pear shaped of late, but he has been pretty vocal about the coming issues long before they actually occurred. But when things have been right with Poch's approach they have never been better.
It's just not his way to follow up on a success like yesterday by sticking to those 11 players week in week out, and in doing so sideline the likes of Eriksen, Alderwiereld, Aurier etc. And I agree with him. Yes, it might help us win on Saturday, but in terms of making this season a success he needs to find a way to get the best out of all these key players who, particularly with Eriksen, is in a really bad place right now.
Eriksen looks like he couldn't give a shit, but I think there is much more to it than that. Really he looks completely shot of any confidence. For him personally this must have been an incredibly hard few months. He went from the highs of the Champions League semi-final, on top of the world, the most consistent playmaker in the world's best league for a number of years, then he announced his intention to look for a new challenge to try and fulfill his spanish dream fully expecting suitors to line up and it has been an astonishingly brutal fall for him since then. He is not throwing his toys around, he has just been through a very shattering period in his life and is likely in a very low place.
The problems we have faced this season are rooted in a fracturing of squad harmony, the key element to Poch's success. Yes, these fractures have either been caused or exacerbated by these players with contract issues or seemingly wanting out. But Poch's fix will never be and would never be to sideline these players, to choose the same starting 11 every week and essentially ostracise half the squad.
Of course for us fans, we have been longing for a performance like last night's for months, finally we get some relief and it is only natural that we clammer for more of the same. Finally we have our Spurs back, so for god sake why regress, just stick with this team! But this completely goes against everything Poch stands for. His solution is regaining the squad harmony, picking the same 11 week in week out does the opposite. Just think Harry Redknapp.
Pochettino has not lost this group of players, they took him out for dinner when the pressure was building. He has not lost his man management skills - just look at how brilliantly he handled the situation with Son. To get from the red card at Everton, to seeing Poch walk Son out to the away fans last night, after the others had left the pitch, that is quite something in four days. It is and will always be about the collective with this manager. Give your all for the collective, show intent and commitment in training and you are part of the team, if not the starting 11.
And since we know that this is Poch's approach, we could look at yesterday's performance as a sign that this whole squad is starting to find it's mojo again, not that Poch has found the right starting 11. There will be changes on Saturday. Verts and Alderweireld and Aurier and Winks will all still keep featuring. Gradually they will find form and over the course of this season we will badly need them at times. The likes of Lo Ceslo, Ndombele and Sessegnon will continue to be pushed, challenged and benched. Poch will continue to play Eriksen, continue to support him and try and bring him out of this slump. He knows that yesterday was just a blip if he can't get this whole squad united behind his vision again... personally I think he will, and in my opinion a big part of that is because he won't be playing the same starting 11 on saturday.