Daniel Levy cast an envious eye over the CVs of Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Capello and most of all a certain Louis van Gaal when he considered who would be the best candidate to lead
Tottenham Hotspur into a new era.
Through a combination of good judgement and good fortune, however, Spurs eventually settled on a relative novice who is yet to win anything as a manager, but has already convinced chairman Levy that he has the best man when
he surveys the two Old Trafford dug-outs on Sunday.
White Hart Lane insiders are speaking in hushed tones of Mauricio Pochettino displaying some of the best qualities of Ancelotti, through his relationship with the players, and Capello, in terms of his attention detail.
Most strikingly ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League trip to
Manchester United, Pochettino appears to be near the front of a new generation of managers who threaten to consign the likes of Van Gaal to history.
Levy met with Van Gaal in the Dutchman’s Holland penthouse after sacking Andre Villas-Boas to see if he could persuade a proven winner to take the White Hart Lane reins.
Van Gaal expressed an interest in the position, but could not give an immediate commitment because of the World Cup and Levy handed Tim Sherwood a chance while he considered his long-term options.
In the intervening five months, there was a growing feeling around Spurs that Van Gaal was holding out for the United job and Levy was warned that the 63-year-old may simply be interested in adding England to the list of countries he has worked in, rather than building for the future.
The £400million new stadium build and move meant Levy finally craved some stability and research into Pochettino’s work at Espanyol and Southampton convinced the Tottenham hierarchy that they could not pass up the opportunity to appoint one of the most progressive young coaches in the game, having missed out on Brendan Rodgers in 2012.
While Van Gaal has lived up to his reputation as a dictator at Old Trafford, Pochettino has proved there is far more to his methods than double training sessions and making his players walk over hot coals, as he did at St Mary’s.
Fitness is undoubtedly a key part of Pochettino’s philosophy and the Spurs players were treated to his boot-camp regime during one of the toughest pre-seasons at the club.
Task master: Mauricio Pochettino is renowned for his work on the training field
But the Argentine has adapted his methods to cope with Levy’s instruction that he had to take the Europa League seriously and make full use of a large squad.
Pochettino put on few of the double training sessions his Southampton players became so used to while Spurs were often playing three games in a week, with his focus instead shifting on how best to rotate his team to cope with the demands of combining Premier League, Europa League and cup competitions.
As well as fitting his players with GPS vests in training, as most managers now do, Pochettino instructed that every single Tottenham training session must be filmed from various different angles.
That has allowed him and the club analysts to decide on who is fully fit for each game and which players need a rest. Fitness comes above reputation and occasionally even form for Pochettino, as was proved when Christian Eriksen started last month’s derby against West Ham on the substitutes’ bench.
Eriksen and his team-mates may not always be happy about having to take a rest, but they have become convinced that Pochettino’s way is best by the club’s much improved injury record and the team’s ability to out-run opponents and score late goals.
Late show: Christian Eriksen has specialised in late goals this season
Spurs boffins claim that the club’s injury rate was around the 30 per cent mark last season, with an average of seven to eight players missing for each game. Pochettino’s methods are credited for bringing that figure down to virtually zero this term with the head coach often able to pick from a full squad.
“We almost do not have injured players and you can see that we can fully play 90 minutes with the high tempo and that has helped us in big games,” said Nacer Chadli.
“He (Pochettino) wants to make everyone sharp and be well trained. We always train with GPS. They are looking at players. If they get tired, they can see it on the GPS. The amount we run, they can check everything. You cannot cheat, or put the GPS on a cat. I’ve tried that!”
Striker Harry Kane’s injury-time equaliser against West Ham was the 11th Premier League point Tottenham have secured with goals scored in the 88th minute or later.
Pochettino’s success with young players, such as Kane, has been a skill he has transferred from Southampton to Spurs.
Kane has scored 26 goals in all competitions and the 21-year-old became the first player to win back-to-back Player of the Month awards since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006.
Star man: Harry Kane has scored 26 goals this term
Ryan Mason has impressed in midfield and could join Kane in the next England squad, while 20-year-old Nabil Bentaleb’s progress has continued at a pace and Andros Townsend is regaining his best form.
Pochettino’s influence and guidance helped Luke Shaw secure a £27million summer move to United, but the left-back has looked a shadow of the marauding Southampton youngster under Van Gaal.
During Monday night’s FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal, Shaw appeared to be consumed by fear and confused by his instructions before being replaced at half-time in what was another blow to the 19-year-old’s confidence.
A victory at Old Trafford would move Tottenham level on points with United and give the club real confidence that they can
clinch a top-four place and Champions League qualification. But even a defeat will not change Levy’s mind that he ended up with the best man, rather than yesterday’s man.
I don't get why you have taken issue with this If I'm honest.
