Pochettino’s Rules Have Become Habits for Tottenham
By Peter Brewis
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has had a plan in place ever since he arrived on the scene in May 2014. And since then, it has worked to great success.
Mauricio Pochettino has a reputation for being a difficult manager to play for. The talk about his training regiment and physical demands on the players is not something that goes unnoticed.
But eventually, players either buy in, or they get out. Just ask Andros Townsend or Emmanuel Adebayor. Either way, however, Pochettino brings his own style to a team, and it seems to be doing wonders at White Hart Lane.
Fitness has been a key component of Mauricio Pochettino’s style at Tottenham since he arrived. Of the top 10 players that have covered the most ground this season, three of them are Tottenham players: Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Érik Lamela.
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Pochettino employs a high press, so this without a doubt contributes to the amount of running that players need to do. However just telling players to press higher up the pitch does not in and of itself increase mileage.
Again, players buying into the system and believing in the manager are what produce results. And the results are finally coming through.
Also of note on that list are three players who played for Pochettino at Southampton: Adam Lallana, Jack Cork, and James Ward-Prowse. While Lallana does still play in a high pressing system under Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, Cork and Ward-Prowse don’t. At least not to the extent that Spurs or Liverpool tend to play.
The bottom line, however, is that the Argentine demands a certain type of player, and the habits learned under Pochettino tend to stick. Because they work.
Every manager demands that winning eventually become a habit. Few managers are able to truly achieve that. This team has completely shifted their entire attitude surrounding the game, and the match against Swansea was a perfect example of that.
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Conceding the first goal to a team that most fans would expect to take three points from is a classic Spurs move.
Tottenham teams of the past would have reserved to find a way to at best draw. Instead, Spurs simply increased the pressure and dug deep to find an equalizer and eventually a winner.
Two years ago Spurs would have gotten frustrated, made too many reckless challenges, and attempted nothing but 25 yard shots believing there was no better way to change the course of the match. Instead, players kept their heads, trusted the system and continued to create strong chances.
Trust is a funny thing. It’s a very difficult thing to create, but once it’s been established it can become a powerful, potent force.
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The phrase “this team” is going to be thrown around by a lot of writers over the course of the next two and half months; and with good reason. This team has shown a resilience that other renditions of Spurs haven’t shown.
And this team has an opportunity to be top of the table for the first time in a very long time. Mauricio Pochettino has certainly put his stamp on things here, and it seems as though his “rules” are beginning to truly pay dividends.