The Mauricio Pochettino thread

[ajspurs]

I have to say I have had enough of what the players and the manager say. There has been a lot of talk round the club recently that is obviously not reflecting the mood and the morale of the camp. I want to see the difference on the pitch.

Absolutely. I don't care if Poch's press conference was positive or if the players were in high spirits in training, because we could easily still see a diamond being employed along with a shit performance on the weekend. It's easy for fans to voice their opinions and to think they're right with more than what they probably are but I still can't help to think that Poch is not acting on things that clearly need to be done with the team, like a defensive midfielder to give the defence cover and the fucking diamond.

I don't mind 'managerial mistakes' being made at all, but when they're being made game after game with negative results, it's very frustrating to see them still being made in further games.

Hopefully not but even if Poch played the diamond and we were again shit in the first half, my real frustration is that we'll come out in the second half playing the exact same system.

 

[PeeLee]

Here's every word of his press conference.

Every word Poch said on staying at Spurs, Lo Celso, Sessegnon, Dele and Sissoko

Here's every single word Mauricio Pochettino said ahead of Tottenham's trip to Brighton

www.football.london

You've had a few days to reflect on Tuesday night, how bad does it still feel?

Yes, of course like always our responsibility is to assess the game and take ideas to try to improve. It was a really strange game. After the first half, no one expected the result in the end. Our first 30-35 minutes we did really, really well. At half-time I was so proud of the players. Sometimes things happen in football that you need to accept when every single shot from Bayern Munich was inside the goal.

In this situation what can you do? Nothing. Stay all together. It was tough, the result was tough because you conceded seven goals. Now to stay calm, believe in our potential like a team. Stay together, start to create a normal environment, knowing that we need to bounce back. In the end, at least it was only three points that you lost. Everything is open.

We need to keep working. In you life, as a manager or a player, sometimes these type of periods happen that no-one wants. We need to accept that it can happen in football and we need to face this difficult moment. All together we are going to find a way to bounce back and win games, that's the most important - to win games and change the perception and emotions and start to stay happier than we are today.

There has been speculation about your future and that you might walk away?

Nah, that is a moment to stay all together, I accept the opinions when you don't win, it doesn't only happen at Tottenham, it happens in all the clubs in the world, at a different level too. It is normal that that game creates a lot of opinion and rumours and everyone needs to talk. In the end all that happened is that we lost a game. There is no doubt we are staying together and we are going to find the way to be successful again, no doubt.

Do you believe the players are still playing for you?

Yes, I really believe. I have no doubt the players always want to do their best to win. They play for themselves, their families, then the for the club and the coaching staff. I have no doubt, they have commitment, with four years or one in their contract, that is no doubt. The negative result like the other day was three days after beating Southampton with 10 men, it cannot change completely, the ideas or perception.
How is it possible to play for one hour with 10 men, beat Southampton and score an unbelievable goal then three days later get beaten [against Bayern]. If we assess the performance I am more than happy with the performance from Southampton, from Leicester too. I cannot justify the result, the result makes it to appear bigger things. In three days how can it completely change. The most important thing is that it is really clear we are together and we are going to be find a way to breathe again.

Was it your low point as a manager?

I don't believe so. In terms of result, of course. In score, 2-7, of course. I think we played really bad games in more than five years here, with different results. It depends how you want to take the situation. For me, that situation is not better than previous seasons but it's not worse. It's similar. Of course at some point the defeat against Colchester or Tuesday made the problem bigger because we came from the Champions League final. That makes the situation a bit stranger. But we are very sure that we'll find the way to success, no problem.

What's wrong with Dele Alli and what does he need to do to get back into the England squad?

There's nothing wrong. You need to understand that football is about form, about some not so good periods. Dele only needs time to recover his best performance. We're going to help him, provide all the tools and platform for him to recover his best way to play. There's no doubt Dele is going to recover. He's in a tough period but we need him, he's a very important player for us. In time, we're going to recover the best Dele Alli of course.
That was your 16th defeat in 2019, only Brighton have lost as many, how do you reflect back on that?

(Laughs) I laugh because you compare, when from January we arrived in the semi-final with Chelsea. We played the most games with Liverpool, because we arrived to Champions League final. It's not fair to compare that. Of course I'm not happy with losing games but depends how you want to compare us, and take a positive or negative way to analyse the team. We know very well that type of defeat always brings consequences, and that is a lot of opinions and criticism. Monday I was the best and after Tuesday I am the worst. That's the reality when you lose and you cannot defend myself.

Was there any point after the game where you thought about your future?

In five and a half years, in every single press conference we're talking about my future. I hope that we're still talking, it means I'm going to spend five more years here at least.

Are you worried that defeats like Tuesday's will affect your legacy?

I'm not worried about affecting your legacy. Of course I'm not happy with this type of result. If you want to take that in a negative way, of course. If a positive way. I can't change your opinion. You're going to take it how you want and assess it how you want. I'm here trying to be the most honest, trying to explain when we win is easy because you don't need to justify your decision.
When you win all is easy. When you lose, you need to explain why. That's it. Football is a game to enjoy and when you don't win it's difficult to enjoy but you cannot create a drama. We're not going to create a drama. We working to try to find the best way to recover your feeling. You want to work in an environment when you win more than lose. The players are the same. The fans are the same. We feel the energy, we feel strong to keep working all together to recover the best feeling.

Is the team talk at the Amex going to be easy after Tuesday night or harder?

It's different. Every single team talk is different, win, lose or draw, one situation or another. Football is dynamic. It changes and you cannot stick in time. You need always to move on, find a different way to motivate and inspire the players, different ways to play, using different systems, be flexible. In the end, like always in football, if you win, you're right. if you don't win, you cannot justify the defeat. And that's what happens when you don't win, like Tuesday.

You have some big leaders in your team, how much are you relying on them to make sure you don't go into the international break with that drama being created?

For me, it's about the squad always. Some players will play more than others, it's normal. It's your selection. To keep winning you need the squad. To change the dynamic you need the squad. Our plan like always is to make some decisions that are best for the team. Maybe some players who played two games, a tough game with one hour with ten men, maybe some players are going to rest tomorrow because played Saturday and Tuesday. It's all the same. It's all about winning.
My decision are going to be based on our assessment and knowledge of the squad. Then if we win, you're going to be positive. If we don't win, what are you going to say? Fantastic? No of course not, you're going to carry on giving your opinion. I've no doubt we're going to compete in the best way, respecting our opponent, Brighton will be tough – we need to be strong, show our quality and that is what we need. It will be the best medicine for everyone.

Can you compare how you felt after the Newcastle game with Tuesday night?

It was completely different. There's nothing to compare. You cannot compare a defeat on the last day of the season. The circumstances were different. The defeat against Bayern was difficult to accept because we really played well and we knew we were playing against one of the best teams in Europe.
The way we approached the game, played the first half, we conceded in the last action to make it 2-1 and no-one expected what happened in the second half. In a short period we conceded a few goals, in that period 83 to 88 we conceded three more. That made the situation strange. That opened the door for everyone to talk and give their opinion. I accept that. When you spend your life as a professional in this business, you know you need to be calm, show that all is under control, humble, behave with the same dignity when you're at the top or the bottom.
I'm not going to change in front of you. I got to the final of the Champions League or the same tomorrow after losing 7-2 to Bayern Munich. My way to approach you will be the same.

Can you tell us about your thoughts on who will play at right-back and your options there?

A few options, I think Moussa was very good playing one hour against Southampton with tough players like Boufal or Redmond. He did very well and that made me think a little bit that his option is bigger than another player.

Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon are nearing the end of their rehabilitation, do you think you'll have them back soon after the international break?

I don't know. To be honest, I don't know because they still haven't integrated with the group again yet and came from a long period of not playing. We need to be careful. It's a bit unlucky because as new signings they can provide new energy but we cannot use them from the beginning. Lucky that Tanguy was a small problem and could recover quickly. In the end it's a little bit unlucky. This season and that situation when you don't have luck when you sign a player. You need to wait and wait and wait. But time, the team needs time.
Like I told you in the past, we started late and started to create that dynamic to be strong and get that result you want. To show the quality you want you need that dynamic you normally have in pre-season but for different reasons we cannot start there and start late. Now we are later in building that situation that is going to help us get the results we want and expect and deserve for our quality.

Is it the right time to play Brighton so quickly after Tuesday?
I will tell after. My wish it to beat Brighton. I respect them and it will be difficult. I hope it’s a good moment to go there and win and who quality.

Always been good defensively, but you can't keep clean sheets at the moment?

Yes, you can find all the negative things.

I'm not saying it's a negative but what do you put it down to?
Yes, but the way you are saying that question is negative. Of course when you lose and don't keep a clean sheet it is because you need to improve in this area, but that is normal. We need to work like always, a little bit harder and try to focus to not concede the chances we are conceding. Clean sheets are always going to help you get positive results.

I'm not saying it's a negative but what do you put it down to?
Yes, but the way you are saying that question is negative. Of course when you lose and don't keep a clean sheet it is because you need to improve in this area, but that is normal. We need to work like always, a little bit harder and try to focus to not concede the chances we are conceding. Clean sheets are always going to help you get positive results.

After the disappointment, how has the mood been?

The players have confidence. After the game it's normal the disappointment and no one was happy. But after 24 hours we move on and yesterday there was a good atmosphere in the training session and the players, like us, move on, because it is our responsibility to move on and not be thinking about Tuesday. We need to move on because we need to be ready with all the energy to try and have the best quality and show the best performance. You cannot go home and cry and spend three days in your room, you need to move on quick, that is the key. To stick with your ideas and be more strong than before. That is what you need to show in this type of situation. If not you are going to get nothing positive.

If you had to choose one video clip from the game, would it be from the first half or the second half.

We don't need to show anything. They all know deep inside what happened, they have the same feeling as us. Some situations you need to show a lot of clips, some situations you don't need to show any clips. When a result is so painful you are not going to fix by showing how good we were or how bad we were. Deep inside the players are the biggest critics with themselves. They need to be shown things that help them perform on the pitch but deep inside when we are in the dressing room, they know better than us how they were. The most important thing now is not to make the problem bigger, but to stay all together. The only way to start to improve is to win games, otherwise we can't improve the situation.

Thank you for making that available. Too often we get a line or two from a press conference by Mauricio Pochettino and that'll be a short excerpt to suit the point a reporter wants to make. So a phrase gets used, with no context or even the rest of a sentence the phrase appeared in. With this 'every word of his press conference' you say, we can read all that he said.

 

[spurs9]

Don’t understand this post. The U23s are for producing players for the first team squad and we play young players to develop them. Any trophies are nice to have but are not necessary. I can remember several seasons when we did well with our Reserve and lower teams but no one really can through to star in the first team squad.

It was a joke mate.

 

[olliec]

I love Poch, and so glad he came out with the fact he might be here for another five years. What I don't like is how he keeps giving the media ammunition to start stories, and spread shit about us. I think he just needs to be more careful with his words in the future, and articulate a bit better the way Klopp and Pep does.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Why not KWP? How else is he supposed to improve and build up form/consistency?

Because he’s not tall enough.

 

[olliec]

Because he’s not tall enough.

That's ridiculous! Look at Rose.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

That's ridiculous! Look at Rose.

Height and balls out commitment are fungible. At least, that’s the only explanation I can think of.

 

[soup]

If Winks starts and/or we play another diamond, i riot.

Rioting on your own is kinda fun, but I'd recommend you take a mate along. Me and my bestie decided to have a riot one night, about 3am after a heavy night in. It's fun and no one minds at that time of night if there's just a couple of you. It's not a very effective type of rioting, as we weren't feeling that destructive, just a pair of idiots, far too high, rioting in a local village high street, with a certain degree of restraint. Then we remembered police were a thing so went home and played more Fifa. More of a pussy riot really, which sounds better than it probably was.

Do it.

 

[DomXYZ]

if he continues with the diamond i have no idea how people can continue to give him sympathy

 

[glacierSpurs]

TBH, Poch was just giving his usual press conference with less ambiguous content, but no less still. He actually didn't explicitly said 'Yes, I don't care about the rumours, I want to stay for another 5 years' sort of response. I actually didn't feel more confident with him anymore and again with many posts on him, I hope I'm wrong. But worrying thing is I cared less about the confidence and game now than all of last 5 years as the expectations are now more levelled.

And I really think his stubbornness is set to stay.

 

[Trotter]

Walker-Peters very much reminds me of another England age side full back that came through our ranks. Phil Ifil.
Would not be surprised at all if he follows his career path trajectory. He is just not a Premier League standard player.
An out of position Sissoko is much better option at right back.

 

[spids]

Poch quoted today as hoping he's still at Spurs over five years from now, has been the best bit of news from the club all week. He's handled recent attempts to undermine him and Spurs with great dignity, retaining his calm, level-headed approach to problems, and underlining what a gem we have in him and his staff.

Of course it's just the kind of news the mockers, destabilisers and campaigners against Spurs, won't want to make much of, not least because in the medium and long-term it cuts the ground from under the soap-opera storylines about Spurs that is their stock-in-trade.

Any manager on a long contract at a club where things are getting messy says they want to stay long term, whatever their real intentions. It’s so they ensure a payout if sacked rather than resigning and losing out on a massive payout.

 

[spursfan77]

Just reading that he says he stays for 5 more years... Am I right.?
Hes an outstanding manager though. I wouldn't mind as long as he gets it right.
Love Poch

He’s laying down the law with saying that. It’s a message to the players to remind them who’s in charge.

 

[spursfan77]

There's enough evidence there to know that he can do a job, played RB at the Nou Camp in the 2nd half last season if I recall and did a very good job.

We all know what Sissoko brings to the table and essentially he has the same attributes as Kyle Walker has apart from speed.

You've absolutely nailed what the focus should be on, shame that we're not currently covering or full backs properly and leaving them exposed which is exactly why we need to play Sissoko, until we learn to defend better as a team we're going to struggle in the full back roles.

I wonder if he’d come back in January?

He’s lost his place in the England squad and is about to lose it in the City side.

 

[Yiddo100]

I wonder if he’d come back in January?

He’s lost his place in the England squad and is about to lose it in the City side.

Hope not, he’s on the decline

 

[Hakkz]

I wonder if he’d come back in January?

He’s lost his place in the England squad and is about to lose it in the City side.

Without pace, Walker is nothing.

 

[ackie]

He’s laying down the law with saying that. It’s a message to the players to remind them who’s in charge.

Rightly so... He is in charge.
He has positively changed the club on and off the field too.
We are going through a tough patch but I think he will overcome it

 

[Yiddo100]

We’re about to find out if the players are still playing for him

 

[Fredo]

Poch has to go tonight

 

[Yiddo100]

Poch has to go tonight

Half time