Q. How does it feel to reject offers from clubs like Madrid?
R. The situation was difficult. The dream of every coach was at stake: to lead the biggest teams that exist. And you must say no. That is tremendous. It generates a conflict. Because you know that if a coach wants to leave, he leaves. But I had just signed a renewal with Tottenham. And I felt that I could not do anything. Daniel Levy [the president of Tottenham] did not accept the offers to free me and if they ask me to break the contract I can not accept it because I can not behave like that. If my president thinks I'm going to continue, I'm not going to be scared. Those are not my values. Why is it going to be good for a club to sign a coach who violates his commitments?
Has anyone seen this Spanish interview with Poch...
https://elpais.com/deportes/2019/05/07/actualidad/1557228527_084904.amp.html
Some fascinating stuff in there if you can be bothered to take the time to translate it all. Regarding tactics, last years Real interest, players looking to leave last summer. Worth taking the time to read. Far more comfortable and open giving interviews in Spanish thats for sure!!
Thanks Reece, a great interview. I think I understood most of it thanks to Chrome translate, but even then it can be hard to pick out exactly what he means without seeing his gestures, laughing, body language etc.Has anyone seen this Spanish interview with Poch...
https://elpais.com/deportes/2019/05/07/actualidad/1557228527_084904.amp.html
Some fascinating stuff in there if you can be bothered to take the time to translate it all. Regarding tactics, last years Real interest, players looking to leave last summer. Worth taking the time to read. Far more comfortable and open giving interviews in Spanish thats for sure!!
Got a manager that stuck with us despite being approached by the biggest club in the game and there are supporters ready to cast him aside a year later...
I do get the feeling Pochettino feels really nervous ahead of our CL match against Ajax. There is no need to say such things ahead of our biggest match of the season, especially his future and link with Real Madrid.
Or is he doing a Ferguson - putting the attention on him, so it's not on the players?
Has anyone seen this Spanish interview with Poch...
https://elpais.com/deportes/2019/05/07/actualidad/1557228527_084904.amp.html
Some fascinating stuff in there if you can be bothered to take the time to translate it all. Regarding tactics, last years Real interest, players looking to leave last summer. Worth taking the time to read. Far more comfortable and open giving interviews in Spanish thats for sure!!
Q: Is the priority to earn money or win titles?
MP: The board will say they want to win titles but to do that you need to invest. Here they say: “You need to win a cup”, “you need to win a title”. And who doesn’t want to win a title? It isn’t easy to reach the semi-final of the League Cup and face Chelsea, like we did this season. We lost on penalties and the press said that the coach didn’t want to win trophies because he didn’t make the cup competitions his priority. The same happened in the Champions League. Of course we want to win! But if you look at our bench and Ajax’s.. they have Huntelaar, Dolberg. Which striker did we have on the bench in the first leg? It’s true that we are victims of our own success. When you see Barça-Liverpool it’s another level. We are competing on that level due to other circumstances: because we were brave, ambitious or because we got lucky. We’re there, but we still don’t belong at this level. Barça-Liverpool you can analyse on a football level, when both sides have almost everybody available. What can you say about Tottenham-Ajax? We have players who are pushing their limits. That’s why there’s a high risk of picking up injuries because there isn’t anyone else available.
We are in the SF of the Champions League and all you want to do is dig, dig dig at the negatives?Damn. Spanish press straight-up ask the questions that English press can only insinuate.
We know the answer to that, of course, and it isn't titles - at least, not for the board.
Still, maybe one day our chairman will listen.
Ajax have a better bench than we do, for fudge's sake. Poch says that.
He really likes De Ligt and Van de Beek.
More of a Mourinhio tactic that, wasn't it?
Do we think that Van de Beek could play CM in our 4-2-3-1 in the PL? If so, would people prefer him or NDombele? (different styles, and you cant have both!!)
Not to mention Wenger tactic.More of a Mourinhio tactic that, wasn't it?
Van de Beek would be Eriksen's replacement. Ndombele Wanyama's. Completely different players.
We could have both, but it would mean Eriksen is going.
Reason for mentioning it is that Van de Beek is talked of as playing as a '6', or at least that being his best position.