Mauricio Pochettino

[cjbyid]

Just re-watched the highlights for my sins.

We had 63% possession, 11 corners to their 1, and more shots. Of their 5 shots on target, 4 of those were a pen, a direct FK goal from 25 yards, once-in-a-career piledriver from Matic and, to be fair, a very well taken goal from Hazard after some questionable defending from a corner (their only one).

Fucking Chelsea.

I often watch Delle Allis goal from that game. Think Eriksens pick out for him is the best assist I've ever seen.

 

[allatsea]

Poch won by 15 points.
Just sayin!

So could you and I with the squad he had available to him.

 

[Timberwolf]

I often watch Delle Allis goal from that game. Think Eriksens pick out for him is the best assist I've ever seen.

Yeah absolutely glorious. Kane's improvised flick header for our first goal is one of the best he's ever scored for us too IMO.

 

[Timberwolf]

Yeah he made a lot of naive tactical errors in his time here.

Those became more evident once the high press energy went from the team


Remember that goal we conceded agaisnt Sheffield United?? They basically walked it in.

I just think without the 'all in' high intensity press, Poch is a very limited coach. We saw that at the start of the 2019 season when he didn't really know what he was doing.

Most would have abondoned the diamond formation after the Bayern thrashing cause it meant we were totally exposed but he kept playing it.

He did have injuries and probably lost some players but he looked lost which was a little concerning as Ndombele was supposed to be a key player going forward.

@mpickard2087 said it best and I felt was very accurate. If you go with Poch you have to give him a fresh young team but then I'm not even sure if Poch would want that anymore.

Yeah this is one of my big concerns about Poch in 2023.

His high press was at the cutting edge 8 years ago but now everyone and their dog is pressing high (except us, ironically enough). He's clearly a great motivator and man-manager but if you take away the tactical edge he had over most of the, much weaker, league back in 2015-2017 I'm not sure what you're left with is good enough to work wonders with the current squad.

He strikes me as a manager that has actually gotten worse the more he tried to experiment and innovate as he's strayed further and further from his roots and what made him successful in the first place. Like a band that refuses to play the early hits and insists on playing the new album that none of the fans like.

Maybe he'll prove me wrong with a youthful, energetic squad at Chelsea and the reason he changed so much towards the end at Spurs and PSG was because he simply no longer had the personnel to implement his old ideas. However I get the feeling Fergie apparently telling him "you need to constantly innovate and mix things up every season" actually hurt him more than it helped him as I don't think the new ideas were, frankly, half as good as the old ones.

 

[Cavehillspur]

I wonder how he'll take to Boehly and his mates coming into the changing room at half time during matches, not well I'll guess.

Love Poch, will be very interesting to see how he does there.

 

[KingNick]

Yeah this is one of my big concerns about Poch in 2023.

His high press was at the cutting edge 8 years ago but now everyone and their dog is pressing high (except us, ironically enough). He's clearly a great motivator and man-manager but if you take away the tactical edge he had over most of the, much weaker, league back in 2015-2017 I'm not sure what you're left with is good enough to work wonders with the current squad.

He strikes me as a manager that has actually gotten worse the more he tried to experiment and innovate as he's strayed further and further from his roots and what made him successful in the first place. Like a band that refuses to play the early hits and insists on playing the new album that none of the fans like.

Maybe he'll prove me wrong with a youthful, energetic squad at Chelsea and the reason he changed so much towards the end at Spurs and PSG was because he simply no longer had the personnel to implement his old ideas. However I get the feeling Fergie apparently telling him "you need to constantly innovate and mix things up every season" actually hurt him more than it helped him as I don't think the new ideas were, frankly, half as good as the old ones.

Possibly a legacy of him being a disciple of Bielsa, who never appeared to have much flexibility / a plan B himself.

 

[Finchyid]

Yeah he made a lot of naive tactical errors in his time here.

Those became more evident once the high press energy went from the team


Remember that goal we conceded agaisnt Sheffield United?? They basically walked it in.

I just think without the 'all in' high intensity press, Poch is a very limited coach. We saw that at the start of the 2019 season when he didn't really know what he was doing.

Most would have abondoned the diamond formation after the Bayern thrashing cause it meant we were totally exposed but he kept playing it.

He did have injuries and probably lost some players but he looked lost which was a little concerning as Ndombele was supposed to be a key player going forward.

@mpickard2087 said it best and I felt was very accurate. If you go with Poch you have to give him a fresh young team but then I'm not even sure if Poch would want that anymore.

Yeah that was the game we got away with one with VAR

 

[Flashp]

Yeah that was the game we got away with one with VAR

But still only drew 1-1 at home and were generally terrible and looking devoid of intensity and will to perform.

His final game in charge of us.

 

[Westmorlandspur]

I really think people need to go back and read some of the posts from Poch’s last year. His dinners with Fergie, his “I’m only the coach” press conferences, his stupid book, his inability to change a game or make a decent sub, etc.

I loved the man but very much rose tinted glasses in here.

in almost the last 4 years he has only worked the 18 months at PSG. Would hardly tax his tactical brain. Is it a good thing to be out so long, probably not.

 

[Frozen_Waffles]

People use Glen Hoddle as an example, but that was a long time ago, I'd even suggest the rivalry between us and Chelsea wasn't that big back then.

However during the Poch era, Chelsea were probably our biggest rivals. He clearly stated how he wouldn't be able to manage Arsenal, well Chelsea are perhaps worse and Poch knows it.

I don't blame him for going, but I always felt that by the end he thought he was too good for us.

I also think it's actually a good choice for poch, he has a top quality team, lots of young players to mold and if he fails, people will say it's Boehlys fault.

I don't see a downside for him, although I think Chelsea may be making another blunder. But who knows

 

[Styopa]

Yeah this is one of my big concerns about Poch in 2023.

His high press was at the cutting edge 8 years ago but now everyone and their dog is pressing high (except us, ironically enough). He's clearly a great motivator and man-manager but if you take away the tactical edge he had over most of the, much weaker, league back in 2015-2017 I'm not sure what you're left with is good enough to work wonders with the current squad.

He strikes me as a manager that has actually gotten worse the more he tried to experiment and innovate as he's strayed further and further from his roots and what made him successful in the first place. Like a band that refuses to play the early hits and insists on playing the new album that none of the fans like.

Maybe he'll prove me wrong with a youthful, energetic squad at Chelsea and the reason he changed so much towards the end at Spurs and PSG was because he simply no longer had the personnel to implement his old ideas. However I get the feeling Fergie apparently telling him "you need to constantly innovate and mix things up every season" actually hurt him more than it helped him as I don't think the new ideas were, frankly, half as good as the old ones.

I think partly we lost the legs to press once we left WHL: we lost Walker's pace, Rose started to have serious injury problems, Wanyama too, Dembele deteriorated rapidly, and Dele increasingly became a kind of free-floating luxury player. By this point, even Kane was pressing less following some injuries.

But you're right; Pochettino's alternatives to the high press were not great. So it will be interesting to see how he sets up his Chelsea team. Does he go back to basics, and what worked for him initially? Would that even have the same impact now? I have no idea, to be honest. It isn't easy to draw many conclusions from his final years at Spurs or his short spell at PSG.

 

[Westmorlandspur]

Big problem for Poch might be if Lukaku returns and sulks. Poch fell out with some of the older players with us,especially Toby. I think he will do ok but depends on what the owners are looking for. To be up challenging City at the top will take some doing. In the 4 yrs he has been gone the league has become far more competitive. It’s an achievement to finish top half, never mind top 4.
the likes of Brighton would probably qualify for CL in most of the other top leagues.

 

[Styopa]

People use Glen Hoddle as an example, but that was a long time ago, I'd even suggest the rivalry between us and Chelsea wasn't that big back then.

Yeah, it was totally different. This was before Chelsea had all their success. They hadn't won a major trophy for about twenty years when Hoddle joined. They hadn't won the league since the early 50s. They were generally mid-table at best with the odd season where they over-achieved, a bit like West Ham. It wasn't like we thought Hoddle was joining a really big club where he was potentially going to compete for titles. I don't think we took Chelsea that seriously back then.

 

[Albertbarich]

Yeah, it was totally different. This was before Chelsea had all their success. They hadn't won a major trophy for about twenty years when Hoddle joined. They hadn't won the league since the early 50s. They were generally mid-table at best with the odd season where they over-achieved, a bit like West Ham. It wasn't like we thought Hoddle was joining a really big club where he was potentially going to compete for titles. I don't think we took Chelsea that seriously back then.

Joining Chelsea back then was like joining a palace of even a Millwall now.

 

[Jenko]

People use Glen Hoddle as an example, but that was a long time ago, I'd even suggest the rivalry between us and Chelsea wasn't that big back then.

However during the Poch era, Chelsea were probably our biggest rivals. He clearly stated how he wouldn't be able to manage Arsenal, well Chelsea are perhaps worse and Poch knows it.

I don't blame him for going, but I always felt that by the end he thought he was too good for us.

I also think it's actually a good choice for poch, he has a top quality team, lots of young players to mold and if he fails, people will say it's Boehlys fault.

I don't see a downside for him, although I think Chelsea may be making another blunder. But who knows

I definitely see a down side. The Chelsea fans might take him in early doors but if its not good or goes through a sticky patch they will turn on him way before they turn on the overspending Boehly. They know how to recognise a tactically good coach by now, or a tactically poor one. Poch's best chance is to get the players to warm to him, get them willing to run through brick walls and then get a good striker in that compliments them.

Financially there will be no downside though. Managers will always move on at Chelsea. His stock will be good enough for more contracts. But I'm glad it won't be us now.

 

[dude573]

I can't lie. I will be beyond devastated to see him wearing the Chelsea badge.

 

[JCRD]

Look sorry im not having a lot of this, now its fine if you dont think he is a good enough manager, for us and its fine if you are not upset he is going there and it is fine if you think we should go in a different direction and not go back but what I find absurd is the revisionism as a way to convince ourselves.

Lets not forget - he was also a young manager at the time, so he was always going to make mistakes. Some questions are valid on whether he has grown enough from that period - id say there is more chance of him correcting those than say Slot/Kompany, perhaps not Nagelsmann.

Now im not biased here, I wanted him back and its annoying we havent considered him but I accept that and if he goes to Chelsea then it will be our loss in my view. I want him to fail because it is Chelsea but he is free to join whoever, I mean after all we sacked him and when we are looking for another Poch, we are going for a Poch 2.0 rather than the original version - so he is entitled to do as he wishes as soon as that happened.

Was he perfect? no, but to be honest, not one manager out there is perfect... you think anyone we bring in wont make mistakes? they all do.. you think if we bring in Nagelsmann, he wont bend over for Real Madrid? or if we bring in a Kompany, he wont fuck off to Man City in two years?

 

[tony0379]

I really wish they'd hurry up and wrap this up so we can all move on

 

[Wearegoingtowintheleague]

Why was he talking to another club if not because he wanted the job ? Isn't that far more likely than your guess ?

Not at all, it happens fall the time.

Do you really think we haven't had unofficial conversations with managers who are currently employed at other clubs in our search for a new manager?

Some of them will have shown no interest in leaving their club to join, but they'd have had a chat nonetheless.

Sounding out a manager, officially approaching a manager, interviewing a manager and offering a manager a job are all very different.

Poch was never interviewed for the Man Utd job, they may have sounded him out but that's a long way from him being disloyal.

 

[spursfan77]

I wonder how he'll take to Boehly and his mates coming into the changing room at half time during matches, not well I'll guess.

Love Poch, will be very interesting to see how he does there.

He won't stand for that. Any strong minded manager isn't going to allow it. He'll probably let him go to the training ground instead.