Mauricio Pochettino can remember keenly the questions. How? How? How? How? How? How? How can Tottenham Hotspur catch the top six? How can they rein in the top four? How can they start winning the big games that matter?
It started four-and-a-half years ago, when he first took charge of Spurs, and they have continued since. Always: how can they keep improving, keep developing, keep moving forwards and upwards? How does he do it?
How has Pochettino transformed Spurs from outsider to right in amongst the elite, disrupting the Premier League‘s natural order?
‘It’s tough to keep going’
“I think we create altogether a massive platform that today Tottenham is enjoying, because the players are enjoying that platform, the fans are enjoying, we are enjoying,” Pochettino says. “Four years and a half ago, I think it was a difficult start for everyone. I remember when we arrive in every single press conference in the first six months, always was about how? How? How? How reduce the gap of the top? How reduce the top four? How be competitive in the big games? How be consistent? How? How? How? How? It was always many questions.
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“After four years and a half I think we’re in a very good position. But now the last step is the most difficult step. It looks so close but sometimes it’s not so close. That is why it’s tough to keep going. But, we have the energy and we’re going to try.”
Victory against Everton on Sunday — such a comprehensive thrashing — established that Spurs are in this title race, bringing them right up close to Manchester City and not far away from Liverpool either and the question is: how?
Top of the Premier League table:
How can they keep competing against sides who are far outspending them? The answer always leads back to one man: Pochettino. It has to be. His name will scarcely be mentioned between now and the end of the season without Manchester United’s interest lurking nearby, but here there is no question of how or why, that much is obvious.
Many of his Spurs squad should be flagging badly from their involvement in the World Cup, many from England’s group of semi-finalists, yet they they are still competing on four fronts and look to be improving, rather than waning.
‘Massive challenge’
“Now it’s a challenge,” Pochettino says. “This season is a massive challenge for us. In our first press conference after the World Cup I told you this is going to be one of the most difficult seasons for us, and look what is going on and what could happen.
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“We’re in a very good position: last 16 of the Champions League, semi-final of the Carabao Cup, we haven’t started yet the FA Cup, we’re third in the Premier League table.
“When many things were negative, when all the circumstance were not the best to start, but we fight a lot and we took a massive challenge and fighting all together and we’re doing a fantastic job but tomorrow you need to start to prepare the game, or now you need to prepare the game. The competition doesn’t wait for you.
“We believe in our quality, we believe a lot in the way we play. Then when you compete in the Premier League you are competing with big clubs, big sides, and always it’s difficult. I think it’s in the way you approach the competition.”
What next for Poch and Spurs?
Spurs keep tying down key players to long contracts and Christian Eriksen is the next who Pochettino hopes will follow others, such as Harry Kane and Dele Alli. The Argentinian is still thinking about Tottenham’s future, even if it does not include him.
“Players like Eriksen are focussed and do a job in the performance we need,” he said. “Of course, the decision is going to happen, at the end of the season, or another decision is going to happen in the next few days, in January. Football is so dynamic, it’s about decision, decision, decision and hope we are going to keep the best decision for the club, hope that the player can take the best decision for them and for their future and the club.”
Even so, as they struggle for central midfielders — Alli is an injury doubt for Bournemouth on Boxing Day after aggravating his problematic hamstring against Everton and Moussa Sissoko is tiring after five straight games, on top of other injury concerns — 18-year-old Oliver Skipp has emerged as a player who can cope with the pressure of a Premier League midfield.
“When he got on the pitch against Everton we have again, very relaxed and the performance was fantastic,” Pochettino said. “Not only the performance, how he moves on the pitch, the energy that translates. You feel safe when he touches the ball. He’s 18 years old but when he touches the ball you’re relaxed.”
The questions keep coming, but Pochettino keeps finding the answers.
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