Pochettino the ‘coach’ earns his managerial Spurs

Matt Stead

Mauricio Pochettino tried everything. As soon as Jon Moss blew his whistle to signal the end of an uninspiring first half at Selhurst Park on Wednesday, the Tottenham manager jogged down the touchline and through the tunnel as he plotted how to keep their slim title hopes from evaporating into the south London air.

He knew that he could not afford to waste any time, for his players had done just that for the previous 45 minutes. Tottenham were sloppy and nervous in the opening stages against Crystal Palace, who revelled in an uncharacteristically disjointed performance.

Not only was this Tottenham’s first game since suffering Wembley heartbreak at the hands of Chelsea at the weekend, but the Blues had since extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points. There was no room for error.

And yet the opening period was littered with Tottenham mistakes. Kyle Walker ironically put in the sort of display befitting a Manchester City full-back – and that is no compliment – while Dele Alli and Harry Kane were largely anonymous.

Pochettino started with a back three, Eric Dier slotting in alongside the usual central defensive culprits, before being pushed into midfield midway through the first half. But try as he might, the Spurs boss could not coax a performance from his players.

This required something more drastic than a small tactical change. Midfield pair Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele were both replaced at half-time, the equivalent of a University student gambling all of their loan on red or black at the roulette table. In terms of the Premier League title, this was all or nothing.

Towards the end of the second half, Pochettino had broken into a jog once more, only this time it was not out of frustration but celebration. An improved Tottenham had been fired in front by the irrepressible Christian Eriksen, who the manager had dropped deeper with the half-time changes. It was a lead they would not relinquish.

One should not underestimate the result. Palace have beaten Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in recent weeks, but were overcome by a Tottenham side determined to prove a point by earning all three. The FA Cup semi-final defeat hurt, but the best medication is a victory to confound the critics.

Spurs have now accrued 74 points this season – already their highest Premier League total ever – while they have won eight straight in the league for only the third time in their history. The previous two times they won the title, but even if they do not complete that particular hat-trick, this side is developing at a promising rate.

Yet this was a test passed not only for the players, but for the boss. Last summer, Pochettino’s job title was changed. The man who had been appointed the club’s ‘head coach’ a year prior was now their ‘manager’.

“Last season I was head coach, now I’m manager,” he said at the time. “It’s true that ‘manager’ is a word that means different things than head coach.”

It might well have been meaningless, a simple nuance in vocabulary perhaps, but a change all the same, and one he lived up to when needed at Selhurst Park.

Pochettino has proven himself as a coach since arriving in England. His players regularly speak of their respect for him, and he demands the very best from them in return. But on Wednesday he earned his spurs *ahem* as a manager, changing the course of a game that Tottenham sides of the past would often let slip out of their grasp.

The question was recently asked as to whether Pochettino is on Antonio Conte or Jurgen Klopp’s level. Opinions will vary on the answer, but one thing is for certain: There is no individual more equipped to coach this group of players than the current manager.

 

Matt Stead