{"id":12756,"date":"2017-01-19T10:13:25","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T10:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.colossusbets.com\/?p=12756"},"modified":"2023-02-01T12:56:15","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T11:56:15","slug":"spurs-different-beast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/spurs-different-beast\/","title":{"rendered":"SPURS A DIFFERENT BEAST UNDER POCH"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Battle of the Bridge towards the end of last season left many casualties, but the mental damage inflicted on Tottenham\u2019s young side looked lasting.<\/p>\n

The final day humiliation at already relegated Newcastle was proof to many that this Spurs team had had their moment in the sun, and got badly burned.<\/p>\n

However, those same ill-disciplined youngsters find themselves challenging at the top once again, but this season, there is a real feeling that this Spurs outfit can go all the way, and that is down to their interchangeable, constantly evolving manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day I stop evolving is the day that I have to leave this profession,\u201d Pochettino<\/a> proclaimed in a recent interview. \u201cCoaches should be open and aware of what\u2019s going on so he doesn\u2019t stagnate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stagnation is an oxymoron around White Hart Lane at the moment. The new stadium is starting to take shape, while on the pitch, Spurs<\/a> are looking imperious.<\/p>\n

There is something different about Spurs. Normally, there is always that feeling around this part of north London<\/a> that Spurs will \u2018do a Spurs\u2019, and any form of improvement or growth breeds imminent failure or underachievement.<\/p>\n

Yet, with a new formation getting every inch of ability out of the squad, Pochettino may have found the remedy to the Spurs<\/a> faithful\u2019s suffering.<\/p>\n

Since the turn of the year, the Argentine has deployed an multi-faceted 3-5-2 system, and the results have been mightily impressive – four wins, 12 scored, one conceded.<\/p>\n

When your team has already won three in a row, not many coaches would feel change was necessary. Not Pochettino, with this continual improvement philosophy clear for all to see in this recent run.<\/p>\n

Danny Rose and Kyle Walker – widely regarded as the best full-back pairing in the Premier League<\/a> – have been pushed forward to wing-back, but such is the flexibility in this new system, they act more like wide forwards, with their incredible fitness levels enabling them to track back when necessary. As Spurs exerted control over West Brom in the first half on Saturday, Rose actually finished the first half with a higher average position than Harry Kane<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That freedom is necessitated by Victor Wanyama\u2019s contentment in front of the back three, providing the utmost protecting, which also gives Mousa Dembele licence to sashay forward in a nonchalant way<\/a> only he can.<\/p>\n

Eric Dier often dropped into defence from his midfield anchor role last season, but in this new formation, Dier is actually deployed as a third defender, alongside Toby Aldweireld and Jan Vertonghen. The Premier League<\/a> cannot boast a more impenetrable backline, of that there is no doubt.<\/p>\n

Such defensive rigidity allows Christian Eriksen<\/a> and Dele Alli to concentrate on what they do best, to devastating effect.<\/p>\n

Eriksen\u2019s end product has deserted him at times, but without having to track back too much, and with Kane and Alli in such fine fettle in front of goal, the Dane can channel his energy into unlocking opponents with his pinpoint crossing and inch-perfect throughballs.<\/p>\n

Alli is in the form of his life, allowed to roam in behind Kane, and those late arrivals in the box have proven almost impossible to track.<\/p>\n

And what is left to say about Kane? Even Karen Brady had a pop at the England striker last week over an innocuous tweet announcing the birth of his child. An easy target because he rarely gets involved, Kane is accustomed to taking it on the chin and letting his goalscoring do the talking. It\u2019s worked out rather well so far.<\/p>\n

In the modern era of transfer<\/a> committees and directors of football, the coach\u2019s principal task is to get the most out of the personnel at his disposal, whoever they may be.<\/p>\n

This formation change is not something Pochettino has dreamt up overnight, it is the culmination of careful planning and training to maximise Spurs\u2019 potential. Like Antonio Conte<\/a> at Chelsea, rather than sticking to a favoured system, Pochettino has worked the formation around the strengths of his players.<\/p>\n

With so many high calibre coaches in the top flight, it makes Pochettino\u2019s exploits at White Hart Lane all the more impressive, and with so many English players<\/a> excelling, his legion of admirers goes well beyond the M25.<\/p>\n

Now, finishing the job is a different challenge all together, but having improved what was already a top side, \u2018doing a Spurs\u2019 could soon have a different meaning altogether<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Battle of the Bridge towards the end of last season left many casualties, but the mental damage inflicted on Tottenham\u2019s young side looked lasting. The final day humiliation at already relegated Newcastle was proof to many that this Spurs team had had their moment in the sun, and got badly burned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[237,174,243,177,236],"class_list":["post-12756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-kane","tag-news","tag-pete-hall","tag-ticker","tag-tottenham"],"yoast_head":"\nSPURS A DIFFERENT BEAST UNDER POCH<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Resident blogger Pete Hall gives his take on the improvement of Tottenham Hotspur under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino. 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