A few weeks into the summer and everything is progressing nicely. With a new manager at the helm Spurs are floating across peaceful summer seas. A brand new manager, no transfer sagas, no contract negotiations. Let us enjoy the serenity while it lasts.
Pochettino brings serenity to Spurs
For the first time since spring last year we have some stability. By appointing a new manager early Daniel Levy has steadied Spurs at a time of year we are normally green with sea sickness. With no standout player emerging from last year, no Real Madrid or Chelsea target, we have want we have always wanted, a calm setting and a club at peace.
Of course it wont last, peace, football and a general “getting along” vibe don’t mix, but for now lets enjoy it. Spurs have appointed a manager who realistically speaking is the best of what was on offer. A manager schooled by hipster wet dream Marcelo Bielsa, a former international teammate of Fiorentina legend Gabriel Batistuta and saviour of Southampton, Mauricio Pochettino.
We may be forgiven for shrugging our shoulders at the appointment and installation of yet another “project” but this time it will be different.
Why?
Because it just has to. Here is a manager who has the same footballing principles and ideas of Andre Villas-Boas, but has the real footballing education to match. Tim Sherwood said: “You need to have played the game to understand it” or something equally as blunt, but he has a point.
[linequote]As a manager he has yet to win any silverware, but he has yet to manage a club with real cup winning potential[/linequote]
Footballers are a strange breed. Easily knocked off their stride, upset, in need of a hug or a kick, but primarily they seem to be impressed by achievements. You are either a manager with no footballing pedigree but more silver than a small African nation, or you played at the highest level.
Mourinho got away with his “special one” nonsense as he had a Champions League and won the Premier League in his first season. AVB meanwhile was fired at Chelsea, lost his key player at Spurs and then broke down. He lost the dressing room due to being unable to back up his philosophy with wins or silverware.
Pochettino comes from a different stock. He comes from an international class. A player who represented Argentina twenty times and unlike most of the Spurs squad who are enjoying a long summer break, played at a World Cup. The Argentine also managed to hold his own playing for tiny Catalan club Espanyol and helping them claim two of their four Copa del Reys.
As a manager he has yet to win any silverware, but he has yet to manage a club with real cup winning potential. So far all he can point to is keeping Southampton and Espanyol in their respective divisions, two teams that when he took over looked doomed.
Southampton had struggled through their first 22 games collecting only three wins in that time. Pochettino arrived though and immediately brought them stability, collecting seven draws and four wins in their next 16 games. Among these wins were victories against Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea, Southampton transformed into a hard working and organised unit. The team that had been thrashed 6-1 and 4-1 at various occasions in the late summer were no more.
However it was his development of the youth over the next season that really sold the Argentine to me, and probably Levy. One of the candidates for the Spurs job had developed youth at Ajax in a league notoriously kind in space giving, Pochettino however brought through young English players and kept them focused in the Premier League, which is altogether a more challenging proposition.
Who are Jay Rodriguez, Luke Shaw, James Ward-Prowse and Adam Lallana? What are they like? Who do they date? What do they drive?
It is credit to them but also to Pochettino that so far they haven’t fallen foul of their own press. No sarongs, no pop stars, no taxi drivers being spat at and no peeing up a night club wall. We know very little about them other than they are young talented English players.
[linequote]There was also the failure of Vincent Wanyama. £12.5 million was a lot of money to pay for a player who had two good games chasing the Barcelona midfield around for 90 minutes[/linequote]
However, before we ask Haringey Council to rent a bus and warn locals about an impending parade, it is only fair we look at his failings. After leading Espanyol to mid-table safety over a few years, the team slowly started to slip down the table and with the club in last place in November 2012 he was fired, let go, cut close, allowed to leave by mutual consent. The Espanyol fans weren’t best pleased, but results are what matters.
At Southampton in his second season, not everything was plain sailing, the biggest concern was his inability to manage notorious bad boy Danny Osvaldo. Failing to control the nationalised Italian isn’t an issue in itself, plenty have failed to handle him, it was his choice to sign him in the first place, despite having prior knowledge of his eccentricities.
Osvaldo is a less entertaining and less skillful Mario Balotelli, why spend so much money on him when you already have Ricky Lambert and Rodriguez? It smacks of an attempt to bring his own style and players in, it failed. It failed spectacularly.
There was also the failure of Vincent Wanyama. £12.5 million was a lot of money to pay for a player who had two good games chasing the Barcelona midfield around for 90 minutes. Especially when you consider there were already Morgan Schneiderlin, Jack Cork and Steven Davis at the club. Was this another failed attempt to implement his style and players?
Personally I find it quite comforting. Big money transfers failing to find to their feet? This is a tale well told at White Hart Lane, he will slip right in.
[linequote]Poch brings with him footballing experience, a strong ethos and most importantly the last chance saloon tag. Levy can not afford to make another mistake[/linequote]
The final issue was Southampton’s ability to capitulate. Much has been made of their high pressing, high intensity football causing them to fade away. Personally I see it a different way. It was failing of Jose Fonte, Artur Boruc and when they played Paulo Gazzaniga and Maya Yoshida. Hopefully with better players, better facilities, rather like how AVB eradicated late goals at Spurs, Pochettino can do the same.
However, enough with the negativity. Going back to my original point, Pochettino was the best candidate available to us. He brings with him footballing experience, a strong ethos and most importantly the last chance saloon tag. Levy can not afford to make another mistake. I get the impression that his security is weighed on this appointment, surely another failure, another pay-out and early termination will be the end of him? There are finite number of mistakes a man in power can make.
Deep down, I know however this isn’t a mistake, I have been known to be wrong though, on occasion.
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13 Comments
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29/05/2014 @ 4:06 pm
I don’t get this last chance for Levy meme that’s going around. Who’s going to sack him? Uncle Joe?
You’re judging a man in a multi-faceted job on a single criterion – and ill-advisedly at that. He has a superb record in the transfer market (we have the best return in Europe on footballing investments), we have stable finances, we have excellent sponsorship deals and a state of the art training ground. We are on the verge of starting work on a 60k capacity stadium on our home turf. We have a clear policy of bringing in Europe’s best young talent and bringing them on. It is just starting to bear fruit with several of our youngsters making a name for themselves who will either end up playing for our side or being sold on for £5-10 million a pop.
To the media myth of Levy being trigger happy that you have so obviously bought into. For a start the rate of turnover at Spurs is bang average for the EPL – in fact if you remove the outliers of Ferguson and Wenger we’ve had less managers than the average. Look at the history and not just the numbers. He sacked Graham as soon as he arrived to everyone’s relief. Sherwood was only ever a caretaker. Santini walked out after half a season for personal reasons. Of the remaining managers Jol and Redknapp had decent tenures. All our managers with the notable exception of Ramos improved our league standing. I think you’ve got to cut him a bit of slack and recognise that choosing the right manager in a chaotic system is a lot harder than it seems in hindsight. I think we actually have an exceptional chairman – the best in the EPL since David Dein at Arsenal IMHO. Name a better one working with our resources?
29/05/2014 @ 5:29 pm
I’be been making this point for years (badly) – thank you for making it coherently!
29/05/2014 @ 4:17 pm
You make total sense. Perhaps too much for most supporters that seem to excel in their pit of despair and misery.
29/05/2014 @ 4:41 pm
You also make total sense.
29/05/2014 @ 4:51 pm
Not so sure it’s a last chance for Mr Levy. From a board perspective he’s doing a good job, they’ve have no desire to move him on. We’ve got some class facilities, an enviable bank balance and a nucleus of a squad thats on the verge of greatness. DL should take a lot of credit for much of that. I do agree though that failure in the tenure of MP (his fault or no) in 1 or 2 years will get the mob baying for blood and demanding answers and/or action from the board. That would indeed mean a head or two. But look, we’ve been fairly consistent over recent league seasons with a squad they’ve we’ve always been saying is lacking a player or three. That deficit can be filled by a Managers hand on the arm or word in the ear (a la Mr H-RH Redknapp). And, in MP I think we’ve got a man that can provide that inspiration. I’m going to be positive as I always feel my team can win, whoever we run out against. No, that’s not blind love, it’s a realism that we are one of the top 6 sides in the best league in the world.
Lastly, on the point of Poch being the best candidate available to us (implying he’s the best of a bad bunch) don’t forget some other positives:
– If Soldado stays, MP can communicate with him and provide encouragement in his own tongue (along with the emotion with which that can translate more fully: yes, I know he’s a highly paid footballer but we all need TLC at some stage in our lives)
– Lamela: This man could be GB reincarnate given the time and space in which to develop
– A tenuous link back into the richest vein of young talent currently on offer in the EPL: Southampton. (And no, I don’t mean the ladies on the dock of the bay)
– Ability to take a squad and forge a team: proven at more that one club. No silver ware to show for it but that’s because those respective teams weren’t in the top 6 in the EPL
– A philosophy of playing the game in the Argentinian culture: pressing, attacking, score 4, let in 3. In this, we have previously embraced (Messrs Ardiles and Villa we salute you!)
Look at these things alone and wonder why he wouldn’t be a first choice.
I for one am looking forward to the new season with our current squad alone, let alone any newcomers.
29/05/2014 @ 5:24 pm
At Last, some reasoned sence.
Personally I think Levy has been doing a great job since he arrived. Put it this way if you offered any club that fights relegation year after year that in 10 years time you will be a team dissapointed with 5th place, with the best training facilities in the UK and about to finance your own 60K stadium while at the same time increacing the teams rating and value year on year every year without ever putting the clubs finances at risk, they would bite your hand off.
The media Love to compare Spurs with teams spending at least £60M more a year on wages. that in itself shows that Spurs are doing very well in terms of club management. Banging on about spending £100M is a complete nonsence we spent less than we sold simple as that.
Our biggest problem right now is Jamie (it’s not fair he sacked my dad) Redknapp Banging on and on about Levy at every oppertunity. Blatently abusing his position at sky to cause as much trouble as he can for the club.
The 6th richest club finished 6th after finishing above that the few years before, Wow.
29/05/2014 @ 6:02 pm
I think serenity will mean no points for a while until we change manager again……
29/05/2014 @ 6:47 pm
Not sure about Poncho,stats not good,well lousy in fact,do like his football even if a bit leaky.
29/05/2014 @ 7:06 pm
Sounds a bit like Brendan Rodgers stats at Swansea,and his first season at Liverpool.we all know what happened then!
29/05/2014 @ 7:09 pm
And Martinez stats for wigan?
29/05/2014 @ 9:20 pm
Some points to reflect upon in this article – thanks for provoking thought.
I like the cut of Poch’s jib and I want him to do fabulously, but …..
…His end game at Espanyol was worryingly bad and …
… There’s a big difference between bringing on youth team players to secure mid table and bringing on the youth to secure 4th and silverware.
If he repeats what he did at Soton and has the same win ratio at Spurs as he did at Soton and Espanyol (in the 30% area) – he’s gone.
30/05/2014 @ 12:43 am
A fair-minded article that in spirit matches my own feeling about Pochettino’s likely beneficial impact at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Potchettino brings something to Spurs yet the online campaign by what seem business rivals of Daniel Levy who is criticised obsessively for what he does and doesn’t do, has become a tiresome characteristic of some Spurs-focused websites and blogs. Criticism is a right, but by some has been turned into a supposed right to criticise without respite, as in ‘Negativism rules, OK?’
Potchettino has a low-key get-on-with-it style that emphasises being judged on performance, rather than talking a good game as patter-merchant or man frustrated not to be in showbiz proper. His work-ethic and unpretentious personal manner is used to encourage a stylish, attacking and skillful approach to the game from his teams. When Spurs can play more happily and give expression to the skill and talent present in the squad, it excites and is more likely to produce good results.
Potchettino could be gone in two years because he has received better offers from big-name clubs. The happier we make him, the more encouragement he gets to be himself and work at pulling together our talented squad, the more likely this man could be to stay a while longer.
04/06/2014 @ 9:41 am
I think it’s stretching a point somewhat to describe Espanyol as “tiny”, don’t you?