Spurs V Man United preview.

I always call him 'Pochettino' rather than 'Poch', 'Pooch', or any other diminutive, because I don't feel any particular affection for him; other people seem to see him as warm and friendly, but I can't get past his obvious favouritism, especially towards fellow Argentinians Gazzinga (from his home town!) and Lamela (who's had FIVE YEARS to prove himself), and his freezing-out of players who in some way cross him, regardless of the adverse effect on the team (and we all know who I'm talking about). I think he's very much a product of South American machismo culture in general, and, in particular, of that continent's sometimes questionable attitude to the spirit of the game (at least for me, and a few others of my generation), as well as being a smart operator, whose career has thrived despite the complete absence of trophies in ten years of management at three different clubs. Whether 'Botch' is fair is another matter, but he's certainly got to produce something for the CV much sooner than later, if the everlasting dawn of the 'project' is not to fizzle out like those of Hoddle, Santini, Jol, Ramos, Redknapp, AVB and Sherwood before him, leaving Levy to demonstrate his managerial appointment brilliance yet again.

 

I started calling MP, Botch when he started to not see the obvious in the 15/16 when his decisions imo cost Spurs the league. The semi when he played Son Lwb and left Walker out imo cost spurs a cup. I do think he is a good coach, however, he should have won something with this group of players.

 

Do we really think it's enough to be warranted a failure as the term botch would suggest

 

Well you've gotta ask yerself Fran would the likes of - Pep, Mourinho, Ancelloti, Ferguson, Wenger (in his prime)..... Etc be overjoyed or put on pedestals by their respective clubs for what Pochettino has 'achieved' ?
Wenger finally got prized out of his job (whilst winning 3 facups) for doing what Poch is lauded for- Top 4 qualification.
Imo he blew the 2 best chances in a lifetime to win the league, and on more than a few occasions his scatter gun approach at what is priority or not has been baffling with regards to team selections/rotations and to date hasn't worked.
Also on many more than the odd occasion when it's come to crunch time he's been found badly wanting and just watched matches pass his team by without a Scooby how to rescue/influence it.

Before I get screaming loyalists crying about what I've said let's get this clear - I am not saying he's awful, I'm not saying he should be sacked, it's not for me to offer alternatives, he has done a relatively good job with the tools at hand and external circumstances.

But he is in danger of becoming Wenger MKII but without the actual success to fall back on.
What he has currently achieved is being better than at least 2 of the other big 5 clubs whilst they've all had an identity crisis nothing more, all while having the best striker in the league and arguably the best playmaker and Cbs in the league.
But to have this and be lauded for finishing top 4 is currently all things considered the bare minimum expectations, hence why I question this Legendary status he's aquired and the likening of him to Ferguson etc at the moment he is very much a pretender to this level.

 

As usual I find myself agreeing with Felon. Poch is not yet a Spurs legend but he is getting us to punch above our weight given the financial restrictions put on him by Levy and Louis. Imagine if he was able to spend what the other top 5 do. Our top players remain with us because of Poch....it certainly ain't the money which says a lot about the man and their beliefs in him.

 

At this moment in time, this is spurs last chance to win something with this group of players, as i think there will be some departures in the summer. I like botch's set up playing two up top and if there are no serious injuries i think spurs can go close to winning the title. Fans and players are happy with the start to the season so why say anything that can upset that? There was no need to mention academy players being able to replace senior pros.

 

You may well be right about the players being personally loyal to Pochettino (those who aren't being frozen-out, that is), but there is an alternative viewpoint, which I think applies to at least some of them, namely that life at Tottenham for well over a decade now has given them a high profile (and they all like fame and its trappings), the possibility of following Carrick, Berbatov, Modric and Bale on to a bigger stage if they're good enough, the attractions of living in London (but NOT N17!), and far less pressure to succeed than they'd face at any of the other 'big' clubs, because 'nearly' has become good enough for Spurs and many of the supporters.
Players like Dembele and Lamela were bought for big money (and fifteen million WAS big money in 2012, certainly for Spurs), in the expectation that they would be lifting the club into competition with the very best, but instead Spurs have provided a comfortable convalescent home for both, and when you add in the likes of Vertonghen, Lloris, even Eriksen, all of whom are (or have been) supposedly coveted by the biggest clubs in Europe but choose to stay at trophyless Tottenham, on relatively low wages, you have to ask whether they lack the personal ambition so evident in Bale or Modric, which may make Spurs a happy ship, but explains why it's also the 'Devon Loch' of the PL, perennially failing in the home straight (and it's Pochettino's job to sort it out, not be mates with 'naughty' Alli, or plastered Hugo!).

 

Just watched us lose to Watford and I am shocked by the performance .Time to give Kane a rest he looks like a championship player at the moment.we played 3big centre halves and couldn't defend set plays.Never had the same problem with back four.Why do we not have a shot on target in the first half of games.Thank god son is now available and please poch don't keep playing dembele

 

Kane's been a shadow of himself for several months, and was running on empty at the World Cup, regardless of all the ridiculous hype about England, whose performances were abject, notwithstanding reaching the semis. It was the same with Spurs until today; good results disguising poor general play, but better to lose to Watford than to Liverpool, so there's yet another test for Pochettino's managerial skills to come, preventing three wins out of three becoming consecutive defeats, and handing Klopp a huge boost in the top four race (because we were never serious contenders for the title, whatever buffoons like Graham Roberts might claim). Interesting times, as usual at Spurs.

 

Poor performance , poor result another leggy flat display of which today we were actually found out.
Davies is no wing back yet deployed as 1, Dembeles ineffective slow ploddy keep ball exposed, Allis tricks n flicks to nobody, Kane knackered, again Moura looking our only threat.
At 70+ mins we go 2-1 down still 15/20 minutes for Pochettino to look moody and rummage through his bench of nobodies to help see the loss out, and boy did he deliver.
I was hoping the Utd result would get some fluidity back in our play but all I see is a relatively unaltered team going through the motions , doing the same uninventive stuff and showing the same mentality issues.
Watford have been our 1st proper test of the season (ie a team playing well as a unit and of prem quality) so far and we've flunked it.
No signings, no investment and there is nothing different about this Spurs side & manager same old failings.

Any ultra positives please write a match report because I may be accused of being negative and screamed at if I give my personal opinion.

 

An abysmal result tagged onto what I thought was a similarly abysmal performance - we were eventually shown up by a team that played together, once they decided to, albeit a team that won't finish anywhere near top 6. Hard, committed runners, nothing more, who fought and bullied to get their points and once they upped their game we struggled - badly. Dembele (I assume this really is the very same player some were claiming to be world class ?) Dele, Eriksen, Davies, Kane..…… the list goes on - none were at the races today. We led by a comedy goal, though hardly deserved and were undone by two set pieces, both truly woefully defended. When we needed a change we bring on Llorente and Winks, as if that will change anything but then again, looking at the bench, there was nothing of any quality to bring on. At this moment the Emperor certainly has no clothes. Harsh? You guys decide, 'cos I've no reason to think so; but as with Felon, I'd be both happy and amazed to see anything positive in today's game, from a Spurs perspective, if anyone can find it.

 

If only we'd signed the only player in world football that could've improved us - Jack Grealish......

 

I had the same feeling when we were 1 nil up as I did when we were 1 up against juventus... And along came 2 goals in quick succession. I don't understand why Poch does not sense when the tide is turning in a match and leaves it too late to make subs. He could of taken DEMBELE off at 1 nil and put Dier on to freshen up and try and break Watfords momentum but the most depressing aspect was how much harder Watford fought in the second half. They wanted it more whilst we seemed to just be going through the motions and not really believing we could create anything.

 

We're misfiring in a big way , have been from the start but results seemed to have masked over it for quite a few .. Our defence without being great has been adequate up to now but the goals we conceded at the weekend were criminal . From midfield up has been rotten so far bar Moura the rest are struggling , Erikson having another one of his slow starts , Dembeles struggling , Dier & Ali are , well they're Dier & Ali , and then Harry , well hes just not the same man since that injury last season so all in all its hardly a surprise that we're struggling .. Need to turn this around quickly or there'll be plenty more results like the weekends but there's no real sign of it yet . Like others i was hopefull the Old Trafford result might inject a bit of vitality into us but nada I'm afraid . There's plenty to look forward to if we get our moe-jo back quickly , but hopefull is all we can be until that happens .. C.O.Y.S ....

 

In fairness he could have taken anyone of 6 or 7 off until you looked at the bench . It was a fairly demoralising group of subs to be honest , not one you'd have any faith in making a difference .. You're clutching at straws if you think the likes of Dier will make a difference to any midfield i.m.o ...