It's an interview with Schneirderlin
Like last season with Jack Cork, you seem to have been handed instructions to play a few steps ahead of Victor Wanyama in midfield.
It all started with Pochettinos arrival. Before that I was used more as the anchor man just in front of the defence. When he came, he spoke to me straight ahead « I saw a couple of videos from you and I think youve the techical and physical abilities to do more attacking ». Then he asked me to play a step ahead, to get into space and burst forward. Im expected to do the constant link between defence and attack whilst maintaining the same intensity in terms of pressing. Even if I can’t do that all 90 mn (laughs)
Your pairing with Victor Wanyama is improving but it will still require a bit of time before you’ll get to the same marks than when you played with Cork…
Absolutely. We know each other for years (with Cork) so we had a perfect understanding of one another on the pitch. Last season we knew exactly how the other did play. With Wanyama I had to start over. We’re not there yet, that’s for sure. He struggled a bit to cope with the way he’s pressed. He wasnt used to that in his former league and it was a tad difficult for him athletically. But you’re right, it’s way better now. It can only improve because as we see at training he’s a very good player, technically in instance. It’s more about physicality and positioning but that will come.
You spole about pressing earlier, do Pochettino asks to isolate the player in possession or does he prefer playing 1v1 all across the field, kind of « matching » a lot of Championship use to do ?
First of all, we have to close the central zones. He keeps saying it’s the heart of play and there’s always more options from the central zones: switches of play etc… He emphasises on blocking passing lanes. Anyway when I do press, I try to leave the worst passing option possible to the opponent. Pochettino asks us not to give the opponent the choice. But it requires a massive amount of work from a collective point of view. It’s not surprising after six or seven months working on it that we’re now able to harass and fully inbalance some of the teams we face. We couldnt do that from the start as it’s a massive work put in at training.
He wants us to recover the ball as high as possible, so for that it’s usually up to a forward to trigger the pressing ; so then we’ve to follow. Personnally, I sometimes have to leave my zone to help on one side if a winger who was out of position because he was in a forward zone and couldnt fall back in time. Im the closest to the ball to intervene so then even if I’m tired, I’m kicking my ass. So then, the winger has to fill my zone and then we switch positions. This is the basic philosophy.
We have precise drills and patterns depending of the situation. On goalkicks, if they attack from the right side etc. Pochettino is all about detail, really. I recall that he showed us from the start that a meter or half a meter could block two passing lanes in midfield. We just had to move a step ahead or orientating our body a given way to face the opponent in order to put him into trouble
So then Lambert runs a bit more than before…
Even him runs more, says it all (laughs). It’s not his thing but he’s adapting to what the coachs demands. It’s often him or Osvaldo who triggers the first wave of pressure. If one of the two starts, it triggers the whole process. Pressing is first and foremost a collective thing. If I’m coming out, the winger will react that way, so will my team mate in midfield and so on.
How is all that implemented on daily basis at training ?
You’re ought to know we play a 11v11 game every wednesday. It’s often against the reserves, or the academy ; youths basically but intensity is maximal. The staff implements several patterns of play depending of the situations. And as we changed the system – because Pochettino likes to play with a 10 and a lone striker – because Osvaldo and Lambert are both out and out forwards, it requires adaptation
We work on patterns to get the ball out from the back on goalkicks: the last two games, both CM had to get to both angles of the penalty box while the two CB had to spread to both sides of the box. Full backs have to get close to the byline and the midway line. The purpose is to get the ball out from the back on ground and not hoofing the ball on Lambert. If the pass toward Wanyama isn’t possible, we have the two center backs. If opponents close us down, so then both full backs are unmarked in a free zone. The aim is to find them as soon as possible in order to write off the most opposing players as we can.
If ever we don’t have a short option, that means that the opponent has closed us down as a team ans so then we’ve to play long on Lambert because it will be 1v1 in the air. But we often change that pattern because opponents adapts after a couple of games.
While attacking, there’s also the will to pass the ball on the floor and stretch opposing defences. Hence how crucial is your role as you’re a specialist to switch the play.
We must know how to oxygenate play, dictating the rythm, surprise the opponent. Pochettino asks me to switch the play often because he likes that. He wants us to devellop a genuine playing identity. Even falling back as a team is necessary, he gives us license to attack. He wants his full backs to get into attacking positions, put under presure opponent’s wingers. We always have to scan around. If you’re head first in Premier League…
That playing intelligence, is it the recipe of your success against the best teams ?
I do think so, indeed. But it’s because we’re more at ease with all the teams trying to get the ball out from the back, such as Chelsea, Manchester City or Swansea. We often speak about Woolwich or Swansea for ball retention, but Swansea really is the best there is in England. They’re really impressing. From now on, Bony gives them the running into depth which stretches the lines. Not a surprise if their manager is Laudrup with his experience as a player, his experience in Spain
Back to us, with all that work implemented by Pochettino, we’re now able to suffocate those teams. We saw that at Liverpool. Last season, we had a lot of struggles with teams playing route one football such as West Ham. Even this season, we haven’t played so well even if Jääskeläinen saves them.
"and just like that, with relentless pressing we will win the ball back high up the pitch."
"no problem boss"
ochserious2: "will you run though?"
"of course boss"
"if you don't you're training with the kids"
