Do not moan. We deserved 3 points!!!!

Some people were surprised when I initially (and continuously) referred to Pochettino as being 'ruthless'. But I think it's becoming apparent why I did/do that.

Yes Poch has a record of being an excellent man-manager, who displays an 'open door policy' with regards to his interaction with his players, but he will NOT suffer fools!

Aaron Lennon was due a testimonial this year after 10 years of wonderful service. He shone on Pochettino's 1st pre-season, playing predominantly off the left, looking bright, creative and full of endeavour.

Now, I don't know if anything happened during that summer behind the scenes, or if Poch simply wanted to make a statement and freshen things up a bit, but Lennon was ousted. Sent out on loan before returning to play with the kids.

Some way to thank an icon for his service, eh?!

Then there was Younes Kaboul, another player who had a long standing affiliation with the club.
Talented, experienced and a GENUINE presence within the squad, Pochettino decided to select him as club captain, a role that he had been performing on & off for years at Spurs.

Whilst seeming like an obvious choice for the captaincy, Younes failed to replicate his form of the past, following a long-term injury and was not only stripped of the armband, but was banished from the squad altogether - only to be eventually sold last summer.

Look at the way he dropped senior (and expensive) pros in favour of the likes of Mason, Bentelab and Kane last year.

Even players that appeared as model professionals, good characters and ideal for the style of play that MP favours (Holtby & Sigurdsson) were sent packing, never to return again.

And that's not to mention his handling/ treatment of the talented Michel Vorm, who has been further marginalised by the promotion of Lloris to captain.

Has anyone else noticed that the Dutchman doesn't even start the cup games anymore???

I could go on, but the long and short of it is that Pochettino is as RUTHLESS as they come, when it comes to fulfilling his professional ambitions.

Unfortunately, Andros Townsend seems to be finding that out the hard way!

To be fair, I could see this coming from a mile away. As well behaved as Andros has been, he doesn't strike me as the most patient of people - especially when there is a major international Tournament on the horizon.

Now that might seem harsh given the fact that Townsend hasn't kicked up a fuss, spoken out in the press or demanded a transfer. But anyone who has seen his face over the last few months, every time the camera panned to MP during games, on the bench will have known that a storm was brewing in distance.

And so it proved to be the case.

Listen, I COMPLETELY understand where Andros is coming from. He was the star man for both club and country 23- 28 m0nths ago, playing regularly and looking like a MAJOR part of THFC future.

Now he is regularly sidelined, playing a bit part and is in danger of becoming a 'forgotten man'.

It wouldn't surprise if Pochettino was ALREADY punishing Townsend for his cameo display against Swansea, where some believe he cost Spurs 3 points by being 'selfish' once finding himself in good positions up-field.

Now whilst I personally believe Andros HELPED turn the game in Spurs favour that day, I can also see why Pochettino might of been slightly irked.

Could that of been the reason that Pochettino has restricted his playing time and chose to ignore Andros in the recent game against Villa at home, despite using all three subs? Maybe.

Anyway, unless something changes DRAMATICALLY, it looks like Spurs will be selling one of the most talented young players to come out of the academy since Ledley King.

And whilst I love the look of Townsend (as a player, of course) and believe he has ALL the tools to go on and become one of the finest widemen in the country, I MUST back the man I have shown complete faith in, with regards to running the club.

But hey, it DEFINITELY says something when N'jie, Chadli and Son are all out and you STILL get overlooked in favour of Dembele and now Onomah.

If Townsend does leave though, I believe it will be a HUGE shame as, like I said, the kid is a player and has an unbelievable amount of potential.



Back to the game though, and I have to say that, for me, the OUTSTANDING performer on the day, who epitomised everything that was good about our display on Sunday, and has largely gone unsung was one Erik Lamela.

The kid was excellent, again, in a big game ( with the 1st being City at home), giving a performance that was full of class, intelligence and a commitment level that even the fallen Sandro would have been proud of.

Spurs not only had a 12th man, with the backing of our WONDERFUL away support, but we also had a 13th man with Lamela getting through the workload of TWO players.

I mean, the amount of times he won the ball high up the park and, as a result, began attacks (from positions of power). From that perspective he MUST be one of the 1st names on the teamsheet atm, as he fits into Pochettinos style of play perfectly.

So whilst I was urging Pochettino to withdraw the Argentine on around the 65th min through fear of Erik being sent off due to his relentlessly aggressive display, it was also no surprised that Spurs' overall energy levels, and competitive nature appeared to diminish after his withdrawal.

The kid is slowly becoming the star we all thought we were getting, this year, with his understanding of how to be effective in this league growing all the time.

With his mentality/ character which has been flawless since he arrived really and his technical ability, Spurs could, still, yet, see the £25m + spent on Lamela as a bit of a steal in the not too distant future.






His face at the end of the vid, once Arsenal scored, tells you everything youn need to know about not only his desire to win, but how much he has taken this club to his heart.

 

Townsend need only take a look at how lamela and dembele have forced thier way into the managers thoughts. He has to decide to take that root or the one of adebayor,lennon and the unlucky sygi. I think he will choose the latter and end up moving down the league into obscurity. Unfortunately for him and spurs. In Lamela maybe we have bought a star(potential) not in the mould of a show pony like a ronaldo or ozil but something more of a Rooney tevez or indeed a vardy. A player with real work ethic who works from the front,kicks takes kicks and picks up cards for the good of the side. Its good to see from a south american.

 

If Townsend leaves and gets REGULAR 1st team football, under a manager who gives him responsibility and has FULL faith in his ability, he WILL shine.

He did that at QPR during his loan. And he has done that for both England and Spurs.

The kid is a star, pure and simple!

What he needs though is guidance (as far as developing his football brain is concerned), understanding (in terms of allowing him to express himself fully in the final third) and support/patience (with regards to giving him the games required for him to develop).

His skill-set alone is 2nd to none. What he needs to do now is develop a better understanding of how to make the most of said skill-set. i.e. For a wideman with excellent pace, how often do we see Andros break the defensive line and go through one-on-one with the oppositions GK? etc,etc.

If he could improve his movement OFF the ball, Townsend would become a different animal, and go a LONG way to being the player I know he can be.

Lamela fits better into Poch's tactical plan and was a BIG investment by Spurs. Add to that, that part of the reason MP was brought in was to help get the best out of his fellow compatriot and it is easy to conclude that Townsend was always going to face a bit of an uphill battle to claim that position over the course of a season.

If we're honest it has ALWAYS felt like Townsend was playing because Erik wasn't quite on form rather than because Poch really fancied him.

I'm not so sure we should be putting Vardy into that bracket just yet, but I certainly agree that Lamela could become a bit of an iconic figure at WHL if he continues to develop his game within EPL.

He was my MOTM by some distance on Sunday, and epitomized the teams efforts on the day. He looks stronger and CLEVERER (with his movements)

And that is where he has got the advantage of Andros. He is boxing more cleverly and therefore appears to be showing signs of improvement.