Mauricio Pochettino exploited Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities and exposed the Manchester United manager’s rationale during their recent visit to AnfieldMauricio Pochettino had promised further surprises after his deployment of a 5-3-2 against Real Madrid, but perhaps the biggest surprise was that he kept the shape the same. There were other unusual aspects to the win – Tottenham Hotspur had not been ahead against Liverpool since March 2013, Harry Kane had not previously scored a league goal at Wembley and Spurs, at last, looked at ease in their new home – but none of those particularly came as a shock.Neither, in truth, did Liverpool’s defending. Two goals were conceded to simple balls in behind them, at least two more could have been,...
Tottenham and Liverpool are well-matched in skill and ambition and their managers are seeking to construct futures that will end obsession with the pastMauricio Pochettino loves a hug. The pre-match handshake may be no more than a glazed formality for most Premier League managers. But not for Pochettino who, when he gives himself, gives himself completely and who has taken the Poch-hug to new and ever-manlier levels in his four years in England, from simple chest-bump to full-blown neck-fondling embrace. What seems certain is that Jürgen Klopp will get something from the most fraternal end of the scale when Tottenham and Liverpool meet at Wembley on Sunday. Related: Tottenham reaping rewards of Pochettino’s vision, on and off the pitch |...
Spurs manager ran through his options in the commendable draw at Real Madrid and the Argentinian is increasing his sphere of influence at the clubIt numbers among the many construction projects at Tottenham Hotspur but, perhaps, it is the one to have drifted under the radar. The London club have committed £30m to the building of a 45-bedroom player hotel on a site adjacent to their Enfield training ground and the rationale is illuminating.Mauricio Pochettino and his staff are obsessed with marginal gains, with new angles and the creation of the optimum environment, and the private player accommodation lodge, as it is officially known, is another example of the growth that they are seeking. Related: Harry Kane can be one-club...
Coach retains fans’ goodwill but the way his side flirted with humiliation against Tottenham was ominous for a man aware of the harsh realities of his professionSlaven Bilic knows how it goes in his line of work. Once a manager is in danger, once the narrative becomes entrenched, it can begin to feel like the long kiss goodbye. “Once that’s opened, then it basically doesn’t stop,” the West Ham manager said after his team’s 3-2 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. “Game by game or two games by two games – it’s the way it is in modern football. Once you open that page …”Bilic turned that page last season, when only a 1-0 win against Spurs with three...
It is a sobering thought that Spurs’ excellent season has elevated them to a world were you can look great, win friends, play well and still not cross the line firstKingsley Amis once wrote the act of getting drunk was much better than actually being drunk. Those first few glasses, the process of moving from sober to drunk is 90% of the fun. Being drunk, on the other hand, is a slog, a losing game, each extra sip a case of chasing with ever-decreasing returns that initial spitz of happiness.By this register, two seasons into the Mauricio Pochettino revolution and with Arsenal finally reeled in after the derby win on Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur are probably on their fourth or fifth...