Pochettino dried my tears

In March of last year Kyle Walker played right wing for Tottenham Hotspur against Chelsea and I wanted to punch myself in the face. I felt like I’d hit rock bottom. I was desperate for things to change, but I couldn’t see where the change would come from.

Fast-forward a few miserable months, Tim Sherwood has been swiftly booted from his throne and Mauricio Pochettino has stepped in and the change I was so desperate for seems to have been found. Mauricio has altered the club so drastically, and as he slowly approaches a full year at the helm, I’d like to briefly touch upon two of the main changes that have got me loving my club again.

First and foremost, Mauricio Pochettino brings a philosophy to Tottenham Hotspur that works. During his time at Southampton we could see that his high-pressing, attacking style of football was more than capable of getting results. Southampton didn’t have the best team, not by any stretch, but with a solid high-pressing philosophy and gruelling fitness regime they were able to trip up big teams and leave them with their pants around their ankles.

[linequote]Pochettino has stepped in and the change I was so desperate for seems to have been found[/linequote]

There is nothing secret about this style of play. There is no rabbit in the hat, there is no sleight of hand – Pochettino’s style is crystal clear, but extremely effective. When implemented at our club the results were no different.

Of course, it takes time to adapt, and it’s still a work in progress, but there is no denying that it’s working for our club. Winning games in the last 5 minutes has become a Tottenham trademark this season – one which I believe can be directly attributed to Pochettino.

Like Southampton last year, we don’t have the best team in the league, but we’re capable of taking big scalps – scalps that seemed unobtainable last season – Chelsea and Arsenal two delightful examples. If football was sex, Mauricio would be the unpretentious kid in high school that all the girls got moist over – Tottenham Hotspur is his unassuming 6 inches: It’s how you use it that counts.

Equally important, Mauricio has re-introduced confidence to Tottenham Hotspur – not only amongst the players, but amongst the fans. I cannot tell you how many times I sat down to watch Tottenham Hotspur play a mid-table team last season and hope for a draw. It’s disgusting and I’m ashamed, but that’s where the club had left me.

For years there seemed to be a lack of confidence in every aspect of the club. Whether it be the managerial roundabout, the visible malaise of our players, or the groans from the stands. We were a long way from confident – a long way from happy.

If you cast your mind back to early June of last year, buried amongst photos of sunburnt Englishmen in Brazil, there was a quiet susurrus with regards to Tottenham Hotspur – notably a cry for Mauricio Pochettino to stop the rot. The expectation of the majority was no longer top four (considering the substantial bolstering of rival squads), but rather to bring back enjoyable, attacking football to The Lane and finish within the top six or even seven. Perhaps a run in a cup.

As I write this we’re 3 points off 4th (albeit with a mountainous goal difference not in our favour), we’re in a cup final, we’re still alive in the Europa League, and there’s confidence aplenty. Mauricio has instilled a winning mentality at the club, and in my opinion, is currently exceeding my expectations.

The confidence he has given the players is palpable. The fans are roaring. The way he approaches big games with such sangfroid is empowering to all. Whether it’s a league game against Hull or a cup final against Chelsea, belief courses through the veins of the club – each and every player, each and every fan ready to explode; fearless and loud.

[linequote]The expectation of the majority was no longer top four, but rather to bring back enjoyable, attacking football to The Lane[/linequote]

There is no guaranteed win in football, no matter how well you play, but for the longest time the famous Tottenham motto has not seemed for apt:

“It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.”

It is easy for us to see this as the norm now, but we mustn’t forget how far we have come in a year. It’s a month until a year since that day where I wanted to punch myself in the face. We face Chelsea again in March, this time with a little more at stake, but with a bucket load more belief. In all the excitement, we mustn’t forget the heartache.

Mauricio has got me loving my club again, and even though the season isn’t over yet, and there is still a long way to go, I can only thank him for the direction the club is moving in. Bring on the future under Pochettino’s Blue & White Army – bring on anything that stands in its way. I’m looking forward to it.