Progressive Pochettino has Spurs primed for title assault
Having suffered title heartbreak and forfeited second spot to heated rivals Arsenal on the final day of last season, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino spoke of his frustration with his players. “I wanted to kill all of them,” the Argentine said on the eve of the current campaign. The capitulation was very much against the grain of the mantra imposed by Pochettino, but the fact of the matter is, Spurs simply ran out of steam.
The downside of the Tottenham manager’s high pressing approach is a combination of fatigue and injury. As last season came to a head, Spurs lacked imagination as tiredness set in, culminating in back-to-back draws with West Brom and Chelsea before successive defeats to Southampton and Newcastle. Nevertheless, for the opening 34 games of the campaign, Tottenham were unquestionably one of the best sides in England’s top tier. Indeed, they now look to have returned to their best.
The north London outfit headed into the international break with confidence sky high following the 2-0 home win over Manchester City, with victory leaving Spurs as the only unbeaten Premier League team after seven games this season. Second in the league and the third favourites to lift the title, behind City and Liverpool, much of the credit has been down to the summer signings and Pochettino’s development as a coach.
At 44 years of age, the former defender is still learning his trade in the game, but his improvements during his time at White Hart Lane have been clear to see in the midst of a third year at the helm. Perhaps the biggest indication of this has come in Pochettino’s versatility to move away from his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. The Spurs boss used the system in 36 of 38 league games last term and understandably maximised the formation at the start of the season.
However, he has since begun to look beyond the 4-2-3-1 formation to utilise a 4-1-4-1 system. While a hybrid of the former, the latter allows Pochettino to sacrifice a deep-lying defensive shield to play an attack-minded midfielder. Spurs lacked verve and guile in the opening weeks of the season as Pochettino opted to deploy Eric Dier and summer signing Victor Wanyama as the midfield pair in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Granted, this made Spurs a more solid outfit, but they were missing a link between the two banks of midfield, which was painstakingly obvious in lieu of Mousa Dembele’s six-match ban received at the end of last season.
As solid as Spurs were, their attack suffered as they scored just three goals in the opening three league games of the season. The shackles, though, appear to have been loosened, that in part due to Pochettino being forced into tinkering with his game plan. Dier and Dembele both limped off in the 1-0 win over Sunderland with cramp, meaning the Spurs boss lost his two primary midfielders from last term. In Wanyama, though, Pochettino had at his disposal a player he knows well from their time together at Southampton and one who has taken to his new surroundings like a duck to water. The Kenyan’s WhoScored rating (7.22) ranks among the best of all Tottenham players so far.
While the likes of Heung-min Son, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, among others, have rightly earned the plaudits, their respective jobs are made easier with Wanyama shielding the backline. This enables the team to retain their defensive resilience - Spurs have conceded fewer goals (3) than any other Premier League team this term - while allowing the offensive performers a greater license to attack. The acquisition of Moussa Sissoko has also helped in this regard and while fans scoffed at the price Spurs paid to secure his services on deadline day, the Frenchman affords Pochettino a direct option out wide and a player willing to cut infield to allow Kyle Walker the chance to overlap on the right, thus keeping the team compact in central areas.
Yet, while Pochettino has looked to implement a 4-1-4-1 formation, it’s feasible to suggest that it’s a role Dier cannot play, was highlighted in the 2-1 Champions League defeat to Monaco. For all of Dier’s qualities, his flaws remain in that he struggles as the lone holding midfielder given his immobility, which can be exploited. Wanyama, though, boasts the necessary athleticism to cover the ground in front of the defence, ensuring Spurs are conceding just 10.7 shots per game in England’s top tier this term, one of the best returns, with the 25-year-old averaging the second most tackles per league match (3) of all Tottenham players.
Of course, it’s difficult to completely discredit Dier’s achievements in a Spurs shirt, with his partnership with Dembele helping Spurs to their most successful Premier League season to date. Crucially though, the emergence of Wanyama as the lone holding midfielder gives Pochettino options in the middle of the park, which was something he lacked last season in Dembele’s absence. For whatever reason the Belgian was unavailable, Spurs fans fretted as the team struggled without him, but now they can rest easy knowing Wanyama is available to shield the defence and Pochettino is willing to throw another attacker into the mix.
Pochettino is a hungry, young manager in charge of a hungry, young team but his tactical inflexibility arguably cost Spurs the title last term. He’s still a manager learning his trade, however his recent decision to move from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-1-4-1 brings to light his increasing versatility and maximises the players at his disposal, which is having a positive effect on Spurs.
Can Spurs maintain their fine start to the season and secure domestic glory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
