I Love The Press.

[Japhet]

No! Not those scumbags! I'm talking about the way Spurs play!

Last season the much heralded Pochettino press was a very hit and miss affair. We saw glimpses of it but IMO it was largely a rather chaotic and unproductive affair. Individual players seemed to charge after the ball every now and then whilst others looked bemused.

Fast forward to this season and the difference is quite astonishing. Players all now seem to know exactly what to do and when to do it. I've noticed that opposition players near the touchline are often quickly surrounded which makes perfect sense since their passing options are already reduced by 50% by the touchline. Same goes for players near their own goal line. Not only are players in possession aggressively hunted down, but our remaining players work extremely hard to cut out passing options.

Our front players also chase down the keeper very effectively which usually results in a hoof up the pitch and loss of possession. The players all seem to have done a load of work on what roles they are expected to play in the system and one of the biggest rewards for me is that I get to watch fast paced, action packed football which is a massive relief after being subjected to the lethargic side to side dross we had become accustomed to.

All hail the Poch! Loving it!

 

[hellava_tough]

Tracking back too.

When we lose the ball and the opposition break, we've always got 6 or 7 guys back in defensive positions within 4 or 5 seconds. That's one of the reasons our defensive record is so good.

It would be interesting to see the stats on how many goals we've considered 'on the break'. Not many I'd wager.

 

[EZSpur]

For me, buying into Poch's philosophy is the key factor and to an extent the likes of Eriksen and Chadli epitomise this - when they first started with us, neither were the type of player to get stuck in, chase the ball or track back (consistently), however look at them now - Eriksen in particular has been a revelation, simply fantastic and they've added another dimension to their play.

I've honestly never been so proud of a Spurs team as I am right now! Love it!!

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Flores - “It’s impossible against them because they are like animals there, trying to beat and recover the ball as quick as possible."

​

 

[Hoops]

Had me suckered then

 

[Gbspurs]

Ah yes Gegenpre....... Wait, you mean you aren't talking about Klopp? I'm confused as the papers seem to suggest he invented pressing.

 

[Bulletspur]

Flores - “It’s impossible against them because they are like animals there,
trying to beat and recover the ball as quick as possible."

View attachment 22065 ​

Yes, I read it before and thought it as a compliment

 

[Drink!Drink!]

Ah yes and I can remember when he first took over all those posts saying stuff like "I don't like all this high line business", "he needs to stop playing this high line"

I presume we are all high press believers now

 

[CowInAComa]

It's very stirring

I enjoy watching the baffled faces on the opponent side as they realise being in possession is a bad bad thing.

 

[midoNdefoe]

Tracking back too.

When we lose the ball and the opposition break, we've always got 6 or 7 guys back in defensive positions within 4 or 5 seconds. That's one of the reasons our defensive record is so good.

It would be interesting to see the stats on how many goals we've considered 'on the break'. Not many I'd wager.

Thats only if they make it past the first foul or two, usually in the opposition half. By which time we have 9-10 behind the ball.

 

[Gbspurs]

It's very stirring

I enjoy watching the baffled faces on the opponent side as they realise being in possession is a bad bad thing.

It reminds me when you play rugby at school and you are just a bunch of kids who don't even want to play and the opposition is bigger, stronger, faster and takes it seriously. Turns into a frantic game of hot potato.