I think we need to ask if the Pochettino method has reached a peak:
We have had a late season dip ala Beilsa as i always feared we could.
Is it fair to assume that the double-training/high energy method has caught up with us?
After a while, without variation in my mind this will be countered by the managers who will be tacticaly astute to let us run out of puff during a match before goig in for the late kill (Rafa in my mind executed this PERFECTLY yesterday). Not to mention those who will have better players (skill/guile after a while will always trump physical stamina imo).
At the moment many of the players will see that the hard running/high energy has elevated them into a CL campaign, BUT being motivated to do it again will likely need us to fish 2nd and/or win a trophy next year. If not, i fear it will end in tears :-(
To extend the faith in him by the players long-term imo Poch needs to:
- vary his hard training regime to lead to less burn-out in the latter parts of the season (no-one can tell me that we aren't playing more lethargic these last few weeks; yes we're missing Alli and Dembele but we didn't have to play or try to play full energy/press to get a point in our last two games; Chelski we started wilting in the second half as well imo)
- vary the method/philosophy to enable an older/maturer player with experience who has 'done it' to be integrated into the squad (they are footballers and our aim is to play football, NOT just be old-style Soviet athletes)
- choose our moments in the season to go high-energy and press; my preference would be to do this in the first 4/5 months and then sit deeper and look to first keep clean sheets and try and win scrappy 1-0/2-0 with some counter-attack for about 3 months like Leicester this season and many of Fergie's Manure teams in the past before bringing back the high press in the last 6-8 weeks to finish strongly.
Thoughts?
Fair question but don't agree. Otherwise, at which points specifically did we run out of puff? We went to Stoke, played them off the park and looked like by far the best team in the country at that point. We then have a weeks break and look good if not clinical against West Brom. But as soon as WBA score, we lose our heads. At Chelsea, we look really good and go two up but lose our heads when they score. Against Southampton and Saudi Sportswashing Machine we don't have the same intensity but I agree with Poch, it's mental.
A small part of me can sympathise with the current group of players, in that they've run hard all season but Leicester just did not give them one tiny slip to capitalise on, and they haven't got their rewards. Hence them letting out their frustration at Chelsea. So yeah, to a very small extent, understandable. But as Poch says, to be real winners means retaining focus and getting the job done. The players let themselves down, badly.
I think every failure or mistake that the club has made over the last decade has gotten us to this point, it's been a slog but every time we do learn from it. We needed someone tactically better than Jol, and went for Ramos. We then needed someone more suited to England than him and got Harry. We then needed someone better tactically and that would improve players, going for AVB. He was almost a great hire but for the fact he didn't utilise the youth academy. So we get Poch, who knows the league, is strong tactically, has a system and a strategy, will use the youth, and has seen us primed for good things. Every failure, lasagne, the Fulop horror show, the Harry flirting with England collapse, Chelsea winning the CL, all lead us to improve upon what we had and got us to this point.
And I hope this experience represents another failure that we sincerely learn from. There are still bad characters in the squad we need to get out. There are a few too many nice boys that are happy if we seem to be doing slightly above expectations, as opposed to wanting to win at all costs. We need more Diers. Bentaleb was reportedly a winner when he wasn't injured. There's a chance Vertonghen and Eriksen, despite being some of the most talented players around in their positions, lack the mentalities to be true winners and that is why they are here rather than a club that's traditionally been higher.
I love how Poch said 'this gives me good information for the summer' in a very cool, calm, collected manner. The bad eggs will be out and Levy won't be keeping them around. He could see the rot setting in over the last few weeks hence the talk of mentality. I think Rose, Dier, Alli, Dembele, Lamela and Kane can hold their heads high and say they acted like champions. I think guys like Davies, Trippier and Wimmer were a credit to the team and filled their roles admirably when called upon. They knew their roles, they were happy to fight for their places and importantly, were ready when called upon. I think guys like Verts, sadly Toby, Walker and Eriksen didn't demonstrate the winners mentality when it was needed the most. Guys like Mason and Carroll didn't step up when given the chance and we may have outgrown them, while Son could have been better (but injuries, settling in etc means he deserves another chance).
Verts could be a shock exit I reckon, a real wake up call to the squad. Wouldn't be surprised to see Eriksen let go either while Walker and Toby need to show they can keep their heads when the pressure is on (maybe we're seeing why Atletico let Toby go...).
Hopefully we learn from this and improve yet again. Happily I think we've got the guy to make it happen. I agree with Steff, he thinks long term for the clubs benefit and not short term for his own. He'd rather let the players hang themselves and do themselves out of a place even if it means painful and embarrassing results in the short term. Credit to the man.
