If there is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter in your life, make an effort to give them a cuddle, one of the special occasion biscuits and offer some reassuring words of comfort the next time you see them. They deserve it.
Fresh from witnessing their team capitulate in farcical fashion at St James’ Park on Sunday, they were hit with another gut punch 24 hours later when their beloved former boss Mauricio Pochettino emerged as the clear favourite to take charge of Chelsea. Spurs supporters have not so much been kicked while they are already down as fully booted into the Thames.
The Blues are widely reported to be in advanced talks with the Argentine to take over from interim boss Frank Lampard at the end of what has been a disastrous first season under Todd Boehly’s ownership. Pochettino emerged as Chelsea’s favoured candidate after former Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann withdrew himself from the running.
It is crucial that Boehly gets his next appointment right given his expensive gamble to fire Thomas Tuchel and appoint Graham Potter backfired in spectacular fashion. And while some Chelsea fans may point to Pochettino’s lack of trophy success during five-and-a-half years with their bitter London rivals and power struggle with the egos at PSG as reasons to be wary of his potential arrival, it is an astute move from Boehly: Pochettino is precisely what Chelsea need.
Pochettino was never the right fit for PSG – is anyone? – given his success at Espanyol, Southampton and Spurs was built on a high-pressing system that required a complete buy-in from a hungry, young core of players eager to elevate themselves to new levels. In Paris, Pochettino was unable to implement his tactical philosophy on a side containing three strollers in attack and was ill-prepared for the internal politics that have made managing PSG virtually impossible.
In a bygone age, trading the Parc Des Princes for Stamford Bridge would have been akin to escaping from one building burning in order to enter another, given player power once reigned supreme in the corridors at Cobham. Pochettino struggled to keep Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe’s egos in check; countless Chelsea bosses encountered similar issues with Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba and the other big personalities that ruled the dressing room.
This current iteration of Chelsea is not like that one. It’s not even like the 2015-16 squad that roused itself for the infamous Battle of Stamford Bridge to end Pochettino’s Spurs’ Premier League title hopes nor the 2016-17 version managed by Antonio Conte that pipped them to first place. This is not a group built around strong characters but rather one assembled – at a great expense – around a nucleus of promising, but unconfrontational youngsters. They need fire in their bellies as much as elite coaching of their minds. Pochettino will provide both.
Although Spurs fell short in two finals, numerous semi-finals and two Premier League title races under Pochettino, they were not, contrary to revisionist opinion, “Spursy”. At their best, Pochettino’s Spurs were bold, gutsy, played with aggression and on the front foot and delved into the dark arts when the situation required it.
That 2-2 draw against Chelsea in May 2016 handed Leicester City the title, but Spurs at least went down fighting. Quite literally, earning nine yellow cards and a subsequent £225,000 fine for various misdemeanours, including an eye gouge by Mousa Dembele, a snide stamp by Erik Lamela, at least two attempts to dismember Eden Hazard and a handful of touchline bust-ups.
Pochettino’s tactics maximised Harry Kane’s goalscoring potential, unlocked Christian Eriksen’s playmaking qualities, provided a framework from which a maverick like Dele Alli could shine, and transformed Kyle Walker and Danny Rose’s careers, amongst others.
Chelsea may be on course for their lowest Premier League finish in almost 30 years, but there is plenty of potential in their ranks waiting to be untapped. Players aged 24 or under in their squad include: Mason Mount (24), Reece James (23), Kai Havertz (23), Conor Gallagher (23), Trevoh Chalobah (23), Enzo Fernandez (22), Wesley Fofana (22), Benoit Badiashile (22), Mykhailo Mudryk (22), Noni Madueke (21), Armando Broja (21), Levi Colwill (20), Malo Gusto (19) and Carney Chukwuemeka (19).
At Spurs, Pochettino ruthlessly discarded players who were unable or unwilling to embrace his energetic style of play which naturally lends itself to younger players than older ones. The age profile of Chelsea’s squad suits him perfectly as does their tendency to press high up the pitch; Chelsea rank third in the Premier League for tackles made in the attacking third and are second for combined tackles and interceptions across the pitch. The fat needs to be trimmed but there are plenty of prime cuts in place.
That isn’t to say that it will be an easy assignment given the chaotic nature of Boehly’s tenure so far. Pochettino is renowned for being very particular when it comes to player recruitment, a trait apparently not shared by Boehly whose transfer market approach has been consistently described as “scattergun”. Few managers would welcome such a consistent turnover in personnel; Pochettino would positively despise it. It seems unlikely that he’d take too kindly to Boehly’s dressing room dressing downs either.
But on the surface, it is a good fit. Pochettino worked miracles at Spurs. There’s no logical reason why he can’t succeed with greater backing at Chelsea.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/FzArGJW
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