An article by Yahoo Sports says Mauricio Pochettino seemed to be in denial having just watched his Tottenham Hotspur side dismantled by runaway Premier League pacesetters Manchester City on Saturday.
It describes how how eyes were glazed over, as if he didn’t truly believe what he was saying. For the Argentine, the weekend visit to the Etihad Stadium was a traumatic experience.
The article adds that it has been the case for many managers to have taken on Pep Guardiola’s side this season adding that on its own , a 4-1 defeat to this current Man City side is nothing to be terribly ashamed of. They are on another level to the rest of the chasing pack this season, however it does say that this defeat accentuated what is becoming a worrying slide for Spurs, adding that this is where Pochettino seemed to be in denial.
“I think you cannot measure the difference between points,” he said. “If you finish second it’s the same to finish one point or 20 points behind. They [City] are doing so well, at the moment they are performing and for many clubs it will hurt a lot because the gap is massive. But we are doing a fantastic job in the last few seasons and the team is doing what it needs to do – learn, improve, step by step, to one day try to be in the place that Manchester City are in today.”
The article however becomes criticals, that this current Spurs side beyond the learning and improving stage, though. There is no doubting the progress they have made under over the past two seasons, and there were signs not so long ago that such development was going to continue into a third season.However it says we now find themselves sitting in seventh place in the Premier League table. Below Burnley!!!
Adding that We have won just two of our last six games. It says that we look tired, short of ideas, that Pochettino isn’t coming up with any solutions.
It describes how he has stuck by his tried and tested methods in the hope that things will naturally snap back into place, clearly demonstrated by his side’s performance against Man City.
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It asks What happened to the tactician who managed to outthink and outsmart Real Madrid over two games earlier in the season?
That against Real, Mauricio showed his true worth, underlining his potential as one of the brightest coaches in the European game right now. He demonstrated a level of strategical foresight that suggested he could take Spurs even further.
However the article is again critical saying the Argentine looks to be coasting. Pochettino would argue that his team have only suffered one real upset over the course of their recent poor run of form, losing away to Leicester City, but games against Arsenal and Manchester United are ones Spurs should be winning if they are to fulfil their full potential as title challengers.
It goes on to say that three years into the job, Pochettino must start to deliver honours and tangible success for Spurs. The Argentine has yet to get his hands on silverware at the club, or at any other club as a manager for that matter. That wasn’t such an issue in previous seasons, when Spurs were still something of a work-in-progress, but the time for progress has passed. Now it’s time for fulfilment and Spurs, at the time of writing, are heading in the wrong direction to achieve that.
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