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Mauricio Pochettino - Sacked

Bedfordspurs said:
His passes were excellent tonight
Hw got wide passes quickly and accurately in a way we haven’t seen before
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Which is a bit of a necessity for being a useful midfield tractor, and the definitive part of his game that has improved the most. How I dread the time he was in effect a pinball bumper, where every ball immediately returned in *a* direction, completely at random. I'm very happy for him, he never complained, fought and succeeded. I like that in a player. Got to say out of topic, the main reason I absolutely loathe Solskjær and wish him doom is that he actively chose to stink up the bench at Utd knowing he would never start and seldom play, and was content spending the days handing out chocolate to the receptionists rather than being our main man up front. Which is commendable for a beer gut fan, but unbelievable for a footballer who have spent years training and whose job is to, you know, play football.
 
BrainOfLevy said:
If Poch was snowing any nepotism towards his son...he wouldn’t be Poch.
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Read Poch's book - he engineered the move of him from Soton's academy into ours so he could keep his family together. His other son is also a sports scientist working for the club. Again, I'm not sure he was the outstanding candidate for the job on merit. I would say looking out for your nearest and dearest (aka nepotism) is something inherently latin and very much part of the ethos that makes Poch Poch
 
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Gutter Boy said:
Read Poch's book - he engineered the move of him from Soton's academy into ours so he could keep his family together. His other son is also a sports scientist working for the club. Again, I'm not sure he was the outstanding candidate for the job on merit. I would say looking out for your nearest and dearest (aka nepotism) is something inherently latin human and very much part of the ethos that makes Poch Poch
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FTFY
 
I also think we can still do it. But they outplayed both Real and Juve in Amsterdam like they outplayed us in the first 25 mins today, even though the results did not go their way. So we will have to be in their faces from the word go.
 
Hotspur75 said:
I also think we can still do it. But they outplayed both Real and Juve in Amsterdam like they outplayed us in the first 25 mins today, even though the results did not go their way. So we will have to be in their faces from the word go.
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If Poch can mastermind a similar improvement in our performance in the return leg as he did mid-way through the first half we have a great chance of going through. We must be more clinical and take our chances. Cue Son-Time!
 
For me, if we've got one more performance in us from now until the end of the season, it has to be Saturday, and then let the chips fall where they may. Realistically, it's going to take a miracle for us to win the CL from this position; the squad is stretched to breaking point and our form has been in the toilet for weeks. Even admitting the possibility of still making the final, I think for where we are as a club, the greater imperative is securing participation next term, and in that respect, three points against Bournemouth represents an easier task than beating Ajax and then Barcelona or Liverpool. Sadly, I think it's quite likely we'll end up falling between two stools (and into the pit labelled the Europa League).
 
mudshark said:
For me, if we've got one more performance in us from now until the end of the season, it has to be Saturday, and then let the chips fall where they may. Realistically, it's going to take a miracle for us to win the CL from this position; the squad is stretched to breaking point and our form has been in the toilet for weeks. Even admitting the possibility of still making the final, I think for where we are as a club, the greater imperative is securing participation next term, and in that respect, three points against Bournemouth represents an easier task than beating Ajax and then Barcelona or Liverpool. Sadly, I think it's quite likely we'll end up falling between two stools (and into the pit labelled the Europa League).
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We will be in the cl next season. Twice. For winning it and finishing 3rd.
 
DeanoAustin said:
Yep. Biggest game of his career and he's left scraping the barrel a bit. Thought he got it wrong at the start but find it very hard to criticise him too much.

Part of our problem wasn't just shape anyway, it was how far we stood off them. The players need to take responsibility for that.
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I think he made a big mistake in the starting 11, and the tactics. Though Im unsure how much of that is him and how much the players.

I would not have started Llorente, for sure. And I think the 3-5-2 was a mistake, it was obvious minutes into the game.

Though I did suggest that shape earlier in the thread, I saw it more with a packed midfield and false nine, not an Alli/Wanyama midfield and Llorente up front.

Ajax beasted us for 40 minutes and we gave them all the time space and encouragement they could want.

But heres the thing....

They got one goal to show for it. Thats all. They should have had 4 and lacked the edge to take apart an underperforming Spurs side.

Then we got a foothold in the game.

Then we basically nullified them.

Then we started making chances of our own.

Honestly, come the end of the game, I was feeling pretty positive.

I think we know now what they have to offer, and that we can handle it. With Son back and some cutting edge up front, I think we can win in Amsterdam and win well.

Start 4-2-3-1, start with Wanyama/Sissoko in the 2 just stopping anything in midfield. Start with Alli/Eriksen/Son/Moura on the front foot and in spaces they can really perform.

I think this game has shown us what we need to do, and that we can do it.


EDIT: And now I realise this is the Poch thread and not match thread :eek::confused:

Bringing it back on topic - I think Poch made a mistake to start, it nearly cost us, but then he fixed every thing to the degree things really are looking pretty good.

Which is quite often the way with him isnt it?
 
Bedfordspurs said:
But what club plans for losing their two best strikers and their best play making midfielder all at the same time?

It’s like Barca losing Suarez, Messi and Rakatic for tomo and expecting to win

We had 40 odd goals missing from that line up
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Who was the best play making midfielder that we had lost for last night's game?
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
I think he made a big mistake in the starting 11, and the tactics. Though Im unsure how much of that is him and how much the players.

I would not have started Llorente, for sure. And I think the 3-5-2 was a mistake, it was obvious minutes into the game.

Though I did suggest that shape earlier in the thread, I saw it more with a packed midfield and false nine, not an Alli/Wanyama midfield and Llorente up front.

Ajax beasted us for 40 minutes and we gave them all the time space and encouragement they could want.

But heres the thing....

They got one goal to show for it. Thats all. They should have had 4 and lacked the edge to take apart an underperforming Spurs side.

Then we got a foothold in the game.

Then we basically nullified them.

Then we started making chances of our own.

Honestly, come the end of the game, I was feeling pretty positive.

I think we know now what they have to offer, and that we can handle it. With Son back and some cutting edge up front, I think we can win in Amsterdam and win well.

Start 4-2-3-1, start with Wanyama/Sissoko in the 2 just stopping anything in midfield. Start with Alli/Eriksen/Son/Moura on the front foot and in spaces they can really perform.

I think this game has shown us what we need to do, and that we can do it.


EDIT: And now I realise this is the Poch thread and not match thread :eek::confused:

Bringing it back on topic - I think Poch made a mistake to start, it nearly cost us, but then he fixed every thing to the degree things really are looking pretty good.

Which is quite often the way with him isnt it?
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I agree with most of this, I do wonder though whether Poch would've started with a formation more akin to the one you suggested had Sissoko not just have come back from injury. I think ideally Pochettino would've left Sissoko on the bench last night ready for Saturday's game but was forced into the change due both due to Vertonghen's injury and Ajax over running our midfield. I guess Dier could've played alongside Wanyama but he has looked so bad since coming back into the team I'm not sure that Poch could risk him in a game like that.
 
Finney Is Back said:
I agree with most of this, I do wonder though whether Poch would've started with a formation more akin to the one you suggested had Sissoko not just have come back from injury. I think ideally Pochettino would've left Sissoko on the bench last night ready for Saturday's game but was forced into the change due both due to Vertonghen's injury and Ajax over running our midfield. I guess Dier could've played alongside Wanyama but he has looked so bad since coming back into the team I'm not sure that Poch could risk him in a game like that.
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Of course, hindsight being 20/20 I think he was probably trying to be as pragmatic as possible, it just backfired.

Llorente really was lost, and had we Son available (even just that change) I suspect things could have been different.

Starting Wanyama and Alli as a CM though tells you all you need to know about the squad and its condition right now.

My money says he was playing it safe. Hopefully Sissoko isnt adversely effected as it seems he will be a key player on Wednesday.
 
Finney Is Back said:
I agree with most of this, I do wonder though whether Poch would've started with a formation more akin to the one you suggested had Sissoko not just have come back from injury. I think ideally Pochettino would've left Sissoko on the bench last night ready for Saturday's game but was forced into the change due both due to Vertonghen's injury and Ajax over running our midfield. I guess Dier could've played alongside Wanyama but he has looked so bad since coming back into the team I'm not sure that Poch could risk him in a game like that.
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If poch was 100% surely he was fit he would have started

Dier was really poor on Saturday and Wanyama played well city away so earned his start IMO
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
Of course, hindsight being 20/20 I think he was probably trying to be as pragmatic as possible, it just backfired.

Llorente really was lost, and had we Son available (even just that change) I suspect things could have been different.

Starting Wanyama and Alli as a CM though tells you all you need to know about the squad and its condition right now.

My money says he was playing it safe. Hopefully Sissoko isnt adversely effected as it seems he will be a key player on Wednesday.
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Absolutely agreed.
And he deserves such praise for the formation switch (albeit forced) as it showed he acknowledged his mistake early on. The more I think about the first 30 mins compared to the last 60, I think we wrestled our way right back into this tie and Ajax know it. That 70th minute post? Massive.
 
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