Tottenham’s Pochettino Does Right by England

The Guardian – always a reliable source of all things football – has posed an interesting question with a video posted to its site on Friday.

Fully nine of the last 19 debutantes to Roy Hodgson’s England national side have come as a direct result of Mauricio Pochettino’s nurturing at both Southampton and Tottenham over the last two and half seasons. Few other Premier League managers – past and present – can make such a claim, particularly in such a short time frame.

Critics might claim that it’s all just been happy coincidence so far. Tottenham and in particular Southampton had youth academies stocked with plenty of promising youngsters just bidding their time before an England call up well before Pochettino’s arrival. Can the Argentine really take credit for development projects put in motion several years before he arrived at the respective clubs?

In some cases, no. Take Harry Kane, for example. He had long been a valuable prospect in Tottenham’s youth ranks before Pochettino arrived at the club. Prior to becoming a first team regular Kane had scored in every competition of which he’d been apart, including multiple levels of England’s youth squads. Even before Pochettino began to consistently put him into the starting XI in November of 2014, he’d begun to prove his worth to Tottenham in substitute appearances the season prior under Tim Sherwood.

In other cases, however, it’s much harder to ignore Pochettino’s influence. Jay Rodriguez’ 15-goal season came in no small part from how Pochettino used the then-24-year-old in 2013/14. The free role Pochettino gave Adam Lallana at Southampton that same season signifcantly improved both the player and the team. Rickie Lambert was an aging veteran that didn’t seem like he’d fit in the plans of a youth-oriented coach like Pochettino, yet the faith showed in him paid off.

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Pochettino’s unique impact on his players has only accelerated at Tottenham.

Eric Dier was looking like every bit of a utility player in his first season at the club, filling in for injured players at centre-back and right-back last season but not favorited to find a starting berth of his own.

Then, in pre-season friendlies this past summer, Pochettino began to field the Portuguese-trained English defender in holding midfield, a trend that has continued throughout the regular season so far. Despite having little experience in the role, he’s thrived and has played a tremendous role in improving Tottenham’s defensive record this season as a result. That positional shift might have been too risky for another manager, but Pochettino knows what his players are capable of and, more importantly, is confident in their abilities.

The case of Dele Alli is hardly any different. The 19-year-old has absolutely no experience at the Premier League level – indeed hadn’t even played higher than England’s third division before – yet Pochettino wasted no time in giving the midfielder his debut and, eventually, a regular starting role.

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Pochettino has come into two clubs already predisposed to favor homegrown younger players, yes, but he’s made the absolute most of those resources. At Tottenham he’s even overseen a doubling down on investment in youth, working closely with chairman Daniel Levy and Head of Recruitment Paul Mitchell to build the youngest side in the Premier League.

At his current rate, Pochettino should help produce at least two England players per season. Already the likes of Alex Pritchard and Josh Onomah look on their way to being included in future England squad. The Guardian is right to ask: who knows who Pochettino will discover next?