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Mauricio Pochettino - Sacked

Perhaps posted before, but it is a good read on how Pochettino is influenced by one of my favourite manager of all time, Loco Bielsa.

http://www.esquire.co.uk/culture/sport/6376/mauricio-pochettino-new-spurs-manager/

Mauricio Pochettino: Who Is He And How Does He Work?
28 May 2014 By Matt Allen


A closer look at the news Spurs manager and Premier League mystery man

Mauricio-Pochettino-43.jpg


Southampton are currently seen as a club very much on the rise.

But rewind to when Pochettino was hired back in January 2013, and that was most definitely not the case. Then, the club was regarded as suffering from a prime example of Premier League delusion: the mid-season P45 handed to Adkins after only two defeats in his last 12 games considered crazy at best.

The appointment of a 40-year-old relative unknown with a modest managerial career to his name (his contract with Espanyol was terminated by mututal consent after four years), crazier still — and to hell with the accompanying talk of promise and potential.

In the 18 months since, Southampton's performances helped to gradually silence these criticisms. Pochettino's brand of easy-on-the-eye attacking football allied to a high tempo pressing game in defence, saw the club achieve their highest ever points tally in the Premier League, scoring their highest number of goals and matching their best finish of 8th. Three Southampton players are also firmly established in England's World Cup squad for Brazil.

With the news that Tottenham have appointed the Argentine on a five-year contract, it seems that similar questions are being raised on his suitability for a bigger stage.

Another question for Spurs fans, is who is Pochettino? How does he work? And where did the manager’s attacking philosophy and tactically nuanced defensive approach originate?

The answers, initially at least, can be traced to his own playing career. As a former centre back with Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina, Spain’s Espanyol and his national team, Pochettino presented an often impenetrable wall.

But it was his early schooling that proved key when, as an emerging talent at Newell’s between 1990 and 1992, he worked under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa, the manger who would later take charge of Argentina and Chile.

It’s this union that has proven so significant for Southampton. Bielsa had a fearsome reputation. His nickname was Loco Bielsa because of the tough work ethic he instilled in his players. More importantly, he was fascinated with Dutch football , notably Louis van Gaal’s European Cup-winning Ajax side.

Bielsa’s teams were often primed for intensity, speed and periods of high pressing when chasing down possession, all of which have been echoed in Southampton’s current system. It was under Bielsa that the young Pochettino’s education began.

“He was a key player, committed to marking,” says Argentine football journalist Martin Mazur, recalling Pochettino’s playing days. “But his work went beyond the football pitch. Bielsa would instruct him — and the other younger players — to perform tactical tasks away from training.

He often asked Pochettino to find out how Newell’s next opponents would play. He’d then expect a dossier of information. It’s no surprise that 15 of the 18 players in that squad went on to become managers.”

Pochettino would later take Bielsa’s football philosophies into his own managerial career, as well as a dash of Loco’s infamous eccentricities. When he was moved from the position of senior Espanyol player to the manager’s role in January 2009, the team was third from bottom. Not long after, and with only 10 weeks of the season remaining, they were rooted to the foot of the table, a despairing eight points from safety.

Only divine intervention could save them, and so Pochettino hiked 12km to the Benedictine abbey on Montserrat where he prayed to the Virgin Mary for salvation. Eight wins out of the next 10 games ensured Espanyol’s safety in 10th place. A method was in play behind the madness, however.

On the training ground, Pochettino worked his players as hard as Bielsa had with the youngsters at Newell’s. Espanyol striker, Pablo Osvaldo, who would follow him to St Mary’s in 2013, infamously remarked: “At times you want to kill him, simply because he makes you suffer like a dog. But in the end you get the right results.”

The hard work paid dividends. A season later, and with his football principles fully enforced upon the team, Espanyol finished 11th, albeit after a less tumultuous campaign. A year later, they went three places higher. Rumours were even floated that Real Madrid were considering Pochettino for the job should Jose Mourinho leave the Bernabéu (which he did in the summer of 2013, by which time Southampton had already got their man).

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s manager, Pep Guardiola, was making flattering noises about Espanyol’s bold tactical approach. “There are teams that wait for you and teams that look for you,” he said. “Espanyol look for you. I feel very close to their style of football.”

It was these plaudits that presumably attracted the attentions of Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese in January 2013. When Pochettino finally parted ways with Espanyol following a disappointing start to the 2012/13 campaign (they were bottom of La Liga at the end of November), the owner made his move, discarding the popular Adkins in favour of securing the services of the attack-minded and hard-working Argentine. It was a bold play,
and not everyone was enamoured at first.

“I could understand Saints fans being upset at the time,” says Le Tissier. “And I’ll never change my opinion of it. Even if we were to win the Premier League, I think it was incredibly harsh on Nigel Adkins, given what he had done for the club. But to be fair to the fans, from the first minute of his first game against Everton, they were 100 per cent behind the new man.”

The on-field changes were immediate. During the opening 45 minutes of Pochettino’s first match, David Moyes’ side was unable to escape its own half for long periods, such was the ferocity of Southampton’s pressing game.

The tactical shift came at a price, though. On the training ground, players were asked to increase their fitness work in order to facilitate Pochettino’s tactical style: “It does feel like you need two hearts to play that way,” says Southampton midfielder Jack Cork of the workload.

As history has shown, such demands of players can go one of two ways. Some managers have become hell-bent on physical supremacy only to encounter fierce resistance, even revolt, in the playing ranks. Pochettino, though, has tempered his double training sessions and high intensity workouts with an easy charm that appeals to his squad.

And once he had overcome the language barrier (he still refuses to conduct live, post-match interviews, such is his insecurity, though he will talk to the written press), he engaged the team with a caring persona.

“He’s world-class, not just as a manager, but as a person,” says Adam Lallana. “The way he man-manages his players. He makes you feel good about yourself. He’s had a lot of time for us and I think it shows in how well we have performed for him. He has that way about him, he’s a cool guy.”

This an edited version of a piece that originally appeared in Esquire Weekly in November 2013.

Good read that !

Its one thing knowing that Poch's emphasis on fitness and intensity is over the top, its also another to hear a hard player in Pablo Osvaldo say this:
“At times you want to kill him, simply because he makes you suffer like a dog. But in the end you get the right results.”
 
i think wherever Poch is manager he will need a large group of hard working, self sacrificing players, mostly young and not superstars. Then his methods work, and work well :)
 
i think wherever Poch is manager he will need a large group of hard working, self sacrificing players, mostly young and not superstars. Then his methods work, and work well :)

Agree to an extent.

However I think some superstars will fit in really well in a high intensity, high pressing system. Depending on your definition of superstar: Xavi, Iniesta and to some extent Messi fit in really well in Guardiola's system. Lewandowski, Reus and Gotze at Dortmund. Costa and now Griezmann at Atletico under Simeone.

They have to fit the style of play and the work rate and effort expected from Poch though. Part of why I'm not terribly upset by us not making January moves.
 
I think that we should all say thank you to every Man U fan that we meet for them poaching LvG. I think that we dodged a bullet there.
 
Some of the guys worrying about the high press leading to burnout need to understand that the system is made to teach players to press well and not just run about like a Holtby. If it was just a matter of chasing your assigned player it would not take months of coaching. There is a very precise science which looks at the methods of closing down and similar to Peps method it focuses on getting to the player within 3 seconds of them receiving the ball as this is when they are least in control of it. I would suggest our high possession stats indicate we spend less time in the press mode so energy used isn't necessarily as high as a team that concedes possession and presses aggressively.
 
I agree with you Luton, it is about how to stand and how to press more than the chasing. The quality of pressing instaid of Championship's pressing that depend on quantatiy. That's why you need a coach to teach the players not just a manger says to play high tempo pressing game and let our back bare.
 
I think that we should all say thank you to every Man U fan that we meet for them poaching LvG. I think that we dodged a bullet there.

I would agree with that LvG was never on my list of managers to take over, never really got the hype around him to be honest. My choice would have been FDB but I am happy with what Poch is doing now.
 
I would agree with that LvG was never on my list of managers to take over, never really got the hype around him to be honest. My choice would have been FDB but I am happy with what Poch is doing now.

AJAX
Champions League: 1995
UEFA Cup: 1992
UEFA Super Cup: 1995
Eredivisie: 1994, 1995, 1996
Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Johan Cruyff Shield: 1993, 1994, 1995
KNVB-Beker: 1993

BARCELONA
Primera Division: 1998, 1999
Copa Del Rey: 1998
UEFA Super Cup: 1997

AZ ALKMAAR
Eredivisie: 2009

BAYERN MUNICH
Bundesliga: 2010
DFB-Pokal: 2010
DFB-Supercup: 2010

OTHER HONOURS
World Soccer Manager of the Year: 1995
Dutch Sports Coach of the Year: 2009
German Football Manager of the Year: 2010

That's not hype. ;)
 
AJAX
Champions League: 1995
UEFA Cup: 1992
UEFA Super Cup: 1995
Eredivisie: 1994, 1995, 1996
Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Johan Cruyff Shield: 1993, 1994, 1995
KNVB-Beker: 1993

BARCELONA
Primera Division: 1998, 1999
Copa Del Rey: 1998
UEFA Super Cup: 1997

AZ ALKMAAR
Eredivisie: 2009

BAYERN MUNICH
Bundesliga: 2010
DFB-Pokal: 2010
DFB-Supercup: 2010

OTHER HONOURS
World Soccer Manager of the Year: 1995
Dutch Sports Coach of the Year: 2009
German Football Manager of the Year: 2010

That's not hype. ;)

I know he has won things but that was mostly in the 90's, not sure he is the same man as the game has moved on. ;)
 
I know he has won things but that was mostly in the 90's, not sure he is the same man as the game has moved on. ;)

I think some managers who lead by force of personality (my way or highway) don't necessarily get better with time (e.g. not sure LVG/Mourinho/Wenger are better now than 10 years ago)

I personally think LVG will end in tears .. it certainly would have with us.
 
Just making sure the Poch thread doesn't drop off the front page. And simultaneously making sure this doesn't devolve into a van Gaal discussion ;)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mauricio-pochettino-given-tottenham-players-5134741

and against Arsenal. We believe in ourselves and will push higher to press the teams. All the time it is about the spirit of the team. We never give up, we all the time believe. We have shown that a few times now.

“Sometimes you have lows, sometimes you have highs. Now we have to stay strong, keep our feet on the ground.

“We’re not saying ‘Oh, we’re going to finish fourth now’ - we just have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working the same way in training and showing up at games like we have been doing.”
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I think that we should all say thank you to every Man U fan that we meet for them poaching LvG. I think that we dodged a bullet there.

I remember being absolutely gutted on Easter Monday when news of Moyes being sacked broke.

Now I couldn't be happier.
 
I think some managers who lead by force of personality (my way or highway) don't necessarily get better with time (e.g. not sure LVG/Mourinho/Wenger are better now than 10 years ago)

I personally think LVG will end in tears .. it certainly would have with us.

It always does with LVG though.
 
I think that we should all say thank you to every Man U fan that we meet for them poaching LvG. I think that we dodged a bullet there.

Somehow I feel LVG would have done much better with us. His track record and experience would have lifted all the players I think.
 
AJAX
Champions League: 1995
UEFA Cup: 1992
UEFA Super Cup: 1995
Eredivisie: 1994, 1995, 1996
Intercontinental Cup: 1995
Johan Cruyff Shield: 1993, 1994, 1995
KNVB-Beker: 1993

BARCELONA
Primera Division: 1998, 1999
Copa Del Rey: 1998
UEFA Super Cup: 1997

AZ ALKMAAR
Eredivisie: 2009

BAYERN MUNICH
Bundesliga: 2010
DFB-Pokal: 2010
DFB-Supercup: 2010

OTHER HONOURS
World Soccer Manager of the Year: 1995
Dutch Sports Coach of the Year: 2009
German Football Manager of the Year: 2010

That's not hype. ;)

Nope. It's called ancient history.
 
I'm happier than I was, but I still don't think we play amazing football. Have ours moments and west brom arsenal are the first back to back performances we've playd well in. Today we were okay, but a few errors, being naive to play the same 11 when some players were clearly tired. Then taking eriksen off at the end... The man whos gotten us how many late goals? Why take him off? Bizarre...

And I really really really wish he wouldn't play rose and mason... I really think they weaken us. Though our central midfield is the weakest area of our squad massively... But at least the system is coming through a little more. We're not consistent enough and we don't create enough chances, we don't work the keeper enough. Still.

I can't wait for the summer. So we can finally see pochs squad. I don't agree with a lot of his decisions, but he's slowly winning me over. But let's see how we fare with no 'not his players' excuses.
 
I think Poch's hands are tied until the summer. It is clear that he doesnt have much faith in the squad and rightly so, he is reliant on about 14-16 players most are young and have played so much football. Todays performance wasnt really about lack of quality, I just think we looked sapped, looked knackered. We needed someone like Stambouli in there to freshen it up. We looked ok going forward but the mistakes kept on coming and that was down to being sapped.
 
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