After achieving their highest finish in the Premier League and qualifying for the UEFA Champion’s league last season, Mauricio Pochettino has finally addressed the meltdown that occurred in the last 4 games of the Premier League. From being title contenders to a third place finish and being beaten to the runners-up spot to arch-rivals Arsenal did indeed leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
Considered the breakthrough season, Pochettino maintained that the last 4 games were an aberration from the standards they had set throughout the season. The Stamford Bridge fallout along with the 5-1 capitulation to Newcastle United left Pochettino fuming. In the press conference immediately after the match, he apologised to the fans and questioned his player’s mental strength.
Over the summer, with most of the first team members leaving to represent their national teams, Pochettino chose not to address the issue. But a summer of team building has led to the Argentine being back to his old self.
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Recently, on the pre-season tour, he had a word with his squad and instead dwelt on the positives and the gains of last season. In a report by Dave Hytner, of the Guardian, he quotes the Spurs manager, “Always, it is important to finish. They needed to hear from the manager about how I felt after the game, and after the season, because there was no time to share then, I explained my point of view and it was a very good meeting.”
Pochettino admitted he had started off the pre-season with a harsh tone and told his players, “If I had the opportunity to kill you, then I kill everyone”. While accepting that this was something new to do in a pre-season, he went to say that it was indeed necessary to have an open conversation about the disastrous run. The Spurs manager felt that the conversation was a necessity so as to ensure that there was closure.
Greater expectations this season
Regarding the new season, Pochettino admitted that there was excitement at White Hart Lane. Victor Wanyama has joined this summer along with Vincent Jansen, the Dutch striker. He admitted that the state of the squad is still a work in progress. One of the positives gained from last season according to Pochettino was the toughening of the mental state which helped them achieve their highest ever finish. That said, the manager understands he needs to improve it further so as to avoid a repeat of the last season’s collapse.
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Pochettino will hope to carry on the good work of last season, as they begin their campaign at Goodison Park against Everton who are going through their own upheavals under former Saints manager, Ronald Koeman. The common links of managing Southampton aside, both of them are well respected by the players and the fans as well.
Spurs will look to win the game and establish an early presence as title contenders. With Champions League football on offer this season, Pochettino will require a full strength squad and hopefully will not experience the need to kill his players.
