Mauricio Pochettino took over from Tim Sherwood’s short reign, bringing a different approach and philosophy to past managers. His high pressure system seemed to have worked at Southampton, but will it do so at Spurs?
There are some consistent performers at Spurs that will always put in one hundred percent and leave everything on the pitch. But, it seems far too many players do not. There has always been a passenger in every game. Even in the North London derby, where almost everyone played their hearts out, there was still Emmanuel Adebayor who really could have done more. Playing against his old club, he would be expected to perhaps put an extra effort to show his old side what they are missing, but no. For Pochettino’s system to work perfectly, all eleven players must be on their game. Which leads to the question: are his tactics the right fit for Spurs?
The season has started shakily, with two draws, wins and losses; consistently inconsistent. Comparing this to the last three seasons, it has been the worst. But, is it really fair to judge Pochettino on vague stats like this alone? No. In fact, Pochettino’s side only lost 3-0 to Liverpool, compared with last season’s drubbings of 4-0 and 5-0. This in itself is a small improvement. Tactics need time. It might be a full season before things really start clicking into place. It might take two transfer windows to get some players that Pochettino would see as fitting into his system. At the moment, Pochettino has a talented squad, but there are many square pegs in circular holes; the players just don’t quite fit. Some players will never quite suit certain tactics. It will be clear by the end of the season just who are in the manager’s good books and who aren’t. From there, Tottenham can build the squad to finely tuned perfection, but until then, Pochettino has to make the best of what he has.
A football team isn’t just built over one transfer window (unless the team name begins with Manchester and ends with City), it needs time to gel. For the last few seasons, there hasn’t been time to settle on one set of tactics. So this season, there may be certain games where one team, perhaps with a manager that has been with the respective club for longer, may outperform Tottenham due to tactical reasons. This has already happened against West Brom. They had a game plan, stuck to it, two banks of four, and grabbed a goal, game over. Three points to the Baggies. Did the winning team have better players? No. A better manager? No. Simply a well fought win, where Tottenham failed to break down their back four.
For the system to work there has to be a constant starting eleven; or at least, a consistent rotation. Take the defence for example. One week it was Younès Kaboul and Vlad Chiricheș in the league, the next Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen. Then the fullbacks may be Eric Dier and Danny Rose one week, Ben Davies and Dier the next week. This creates confusion. The players have to learn to play with each other again, as a brand new unit. There are different responsibilities. So during a game, it can quite easily all go pear-shaped. Pochettino’s tactics can work if he quickly finds the ‘backbone’ of the team and is consistent with his line-ups.
Is quickly too long, though? Points are being dropped, both in the Premier League and in the Europa League. By the time the manager finds his perfect team, the season may be too far gone to rescue anything. Will Daniel Levy take into the account the new tactics, the fact that the pre-season was shorter and without the full squad together due to the World Club? He must, for in the next season, the players will have a better understanding of the tactics, and the fans will be able to truly see the effectiveness of the manager’s ideology.
In short, Pochettino’s tactics can work, with time. Rome wasn’t built in a day; Tottenham won’t suddenly qualify for the Champions League in a season. Overall, Tottenham have a talented squad, the majority of which will adapt to the tactics. Only some players won’t fit and these will be the players replaced in the transfer window.
Patience is key. If Tottenham want these tactics to succeed, there is a long road ahead of them.
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