A serious look at Mauricio Pochettino

Dinghy

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There's no way of knowing that. And if the Mourinho is the supposed reason, then you need to explain how he's managing the same club (Spurs) that is again currently ahead of Ole in the table … despite the much greater spending on players at United (compared to Spurs) since Ole took over.
Which is why comparing them both from the time he arrived is the most fair thing to do, even though Poch had been in charge for 5 years and bought 27 players in that time. How can Ole be held responsible for what the previous manager did? I need to explain to you why Mourinho is doing ok with the players that Pochettino had been in charge of for 5 years and couldn't get a tune out of?
 

GlastonSpur

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Which is why comparing them both from the time he arrived is the most fair thing to do, even though Poch had been in charge for 5 years and bought 27 players in that time. How can Ole be held responsible for what the previous manager did? I need to explain to you why Mourinho is doing ok with the players that Pochettino had been in charge of for 5 years and couldn't get a tune out of?
Then if we're being fair you should take reaching the CL final into account. That was no small feat - and to some extent explains the drop-off in the league.

Most oppo fans will be very happy if you stick with Ole and pass over any chance of getting Pochettino.
 

Dinghy

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Then if we're being fair you should take reaching the CL final into account. That was no small feat - and to some extent explains the drop-off in the league.

Most oppo fans will be very happy if you stick with Ole and pass over any chance of getting Pochettino.
Might just be me, but the achievement of reaching a final kind of loses its "glory" when you see such a spineless performance in the biggest game in the club's history. Didn't even look like they wanted to win it, and they were never close. Not to mention that there was a huge element of luck involved in that run leading to the final as you were margins away from being knocked out several times (group stages, quarter and semi-finals).

Most oppo fans were scared to shit over Mourinho coming here, means absolutely nothing. Ole has sacrificed short-term success for the better of the club and has done a good job so far in trying to rectify the mistakes that's been done over the last 6-7 years. If he manages to get us into the CL next season with the injuries we've had this season, I really couldn't care less about Pochettino.
 

Bebestation

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Might just be me, but the achievement of reaching a final kind of loses its "glory" when you see such a spineless performance in the biggest game in the club's history. Didn't even look like they wanted to win it, and they were never close. Not to mention that there was a huge element of luck involved in that run leading to the final as you were margins away from being knocked out several times (group stages, quarter and semi-finals).

Most oppo fans were scared to shit over Mourinho coming here, means absolutely nothing. Ole has sacrificed short-term success for the better of the club and has done a good job so far in trying to rectify the mistakes that's been done over the last 6-7 years. If he manages to get us into the CL next season with the injuries we've had this season, I really couldn't care less about Pochettino.
I absolutely hated what he did with Harry Kane's swap for Lucas after what Lucas did for Spurs in the semi final.

Im okay with Pochettino coming here but I've tried to suss out some of his weaknesses & in that final I just saw what I always saw.

For me Pochettino has always used big strong strikers & was scared to use Lucas upfront even after his wonderful performance - even after Kane's injury - he has used them previously with Osvaldo, Lambert, Kane, Llorente etc.

I think this backfired on them, their confidence & arguably their best players confidence on the final which was idiotic & effected the whole team all due to the managers weakness in adaptability of his tactics.


In my opinion - the best of the best managers are able to adapt their tactics. Pep has used strikers like Aguero, used strikers like lewandowski but used Messi as a False 9, used Silva & De Bryune as makeshift CM/Cam's. Klopp didn't come in to Liverpool begging for Lewandowski 2.0 just because Firmino wasn't bagging in goals - no one cares about him, but adapted his tactics to play a false 9 and inverted forwards, no attacking midfielders and are the best team in the world.

Conte & Jose is a bit like this too - he comes in to a club with a tactic he had already drawn up for nearly all clubs managed (hence why he buys alot of players quickly, gets quick short term results) & to me pochettino is not going to be much different - but maybe a bit more versatile than them.

I just wish he had the guts to play Lucas as forward that day & bring Kane on as a sub.
 

Manutd GOGOGO

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I never fell asleep watching Ole's team.

The other two?
Yeah. I did.
Hahaha... so true...I fell asleep many times watching LVG and Mourinho games...

There is something about the current team that I care about. Maybe it is the youth players progressing month after month.

I feel like there are things I can look forward to like the addition of players, the improvement of play and skills.

For now, I can't wait for Pogba to come back and join forces with Bruno and Fred.
 

GlastonSpur

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Might just be me, but the achievement of reaching a final kind of loses its "glory" when you see such a spineless performance in the biggest game in the club's history. Didn't even look like they wanted to win it, and they were never close. Not to mention that there was a huge element of luck involved in that run leading to the final as you were margins away from being knocked out several times (group stages, quarter and semi-finals).

Most oppo fans were scared to shit over Mourinho coming here, means absolutely nothing. Ole has sacrificed short-term success for the better of the club and has done a good job so far in trying to rectify the mistakes that's been done over the last 6-7 years. If he manages to get us into the CL next season with the injuries we've had this season, I really couldn't care less about Pochettino.
It makes it hard to win when a dubious penalty is awarded against you a mere 30 seconds into the game: you're quick to cite "luck" in reaching the final, but then ignore this bad luck in the final.
 

Cassidy

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Hahaha... so true...I fell asleep many times watching LVG and Mourinho games...

There is something about the current team that I care about. Maybe it is the youth players progressing month after month.

I feel like there are things I can look forward to like the addition of players, the improvement of play and skills.

For now, I can't wait for Pogba to come back and join forces with Bruno and Fred.
Doesnt mean that the play isnt boring
 

Dinghy

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It makes it hard to win when a dubious penalty is awarded against you a mere 30 seconds into the game: you're quick to cite "luck" in reaching the final, but then ignore this bad luck in the final.
If you actually believe bad luck was the main reason Spurs lost that final then I really don't know what to say. Being a goal down early in a game usually leads to some kind of response from the players. Instead, they kept on playing with the same intensity as in a pre-season game.
 

Fletchageddon

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The big thing for me is that he was never able to get his team up for the big fight. As some one else put it they never had the X factor to beat the big teams.

That's man management. That's crucial that's what gets you over the line in a situation where the teams are evenly matched. He is essentially a very Spurs-y manager. Lads it's Pochettino.

Ole for me is able to make his team more than the sum of its parts. He gets them up for the big fight. Which will be crucial when we are back in the QF+SF of the CL, fighting for the title. He's done this with basically someone else's team and created a really strong bond amongst the squad. (A massive difference to this time last year)

Just think what he will do with a few more of his own players? Why would we wreck this progress by bringing in Mr Runner up?
 

L1nk

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The big thing for me is that he was never able to get his team up for the big fight. As some one else put it they never had the X factor to beat the big teams.

That's man management. That's crucial that's what gets you over the line in a situation where the teams are evenly matched. He is essentially a very Spurs-y manager. Lads it's Pochettino.

Ole for me is able to make his team more than the sum of its parts. He gets them up for the big fight. Which will be crucial when we are back in the QF+SF of the CL, fighting for the title. He's done this with basically someone else's team and created a really strong bond amongst the squad. (A massive difference to this time last year)

Just think what he will do with a few more of his own players? Why would we wreck this progress by bringing in Mr Runner up?
Are you just... making stuff up now? We've been playing absolutely garbage under Ole, bar the odd good win.

I just REALLY can't understand why Pochettino's previous work is used as a reason to bash him but Ole's previous work is completely ignored like it didn't happen, like countless seasons of shite in Norway as well as relegating Cardiff and then taking them to relegation form next season in the Championship, with, by the way, a load of his own players bought in the summer, is apparently examples of how amazing Ole is and how we have such a bright future as long as we buy him a couple more players, but taking Southampton to their highest points tally, Tottenham to their highest consistent finishes and a CL final is apparently terrible and why Pochettino is Mr Runner up and shouldn't manage us.

This Ole cult seriously needs to stop, its getting tiresome and annoying.
 

Amadaeus

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Mauricio Pochettino is the best manager in football.

Let’s be honest, Mourinho is not a bad manager. But seeing him struggle with this Spurs team that Pochettino took to champions league final, top of the premier league according to xg and top four consecutively, shows how underestimated Pochettino is as a manager.

Spurs fan now fully understands what they lost now.
 

Xaviesta

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Mauricio Pochettino is the best manager in football.

Let’s be honest, Mourinho is not a bad manager. But seeing him struggle with this Spurs team that Pochettino took to champions league final, top of the premier league according to xg and top four consecutively, shows how underestimated Pochettino is as a manager.

Spurs fan now fully understands what they lost now.

Nobody understimates him. It's just that not everybody thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
 

Moiraine

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Sorry to bump up, i have to admit he is a class manager and a wonderful motivator. What he achieved last season without any summer signings was a miracle.
 

Paxi

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Poch will be going back to Spurs at this rate.
 

Dec9003

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Could they do a Monaco? Fire Jardim, hire Henry, fire Henry, hire Jardim. And then Monaco fires Jardim again!
The only thing if they did is the amount they’d spend sacking Poch then Jose would be huge.
 

edcunited1878

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Sorry to bump up, i have to admit he is a class manager and a wonderful motivator. What he achieved last season without any summer signings was a miracle.
They completely overachieved in a cup competition...but in the league, they finished 4th w/71 points, which shows their decline from 16/17.

Poch got the best out of the team and it was trophyless.
 

Bilbo

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Theres no doubt that Pochettino took Spurs up a few levels. No doubt at all. It's not beyond the realm of possibility though that it might just have been right manager at the right club at the right time - by which I mean I'm not convinced that he would go somewhere else and achieve the same thing.

He seems to have some weird cult following amongst United fans. Maybe because he has been linked previously, and also because he has been available when we've been questioning our own manager, but I dont seem to see fans of other clubs clamouring to appoint him.
 

always_hoping

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Apart from last seasons out of the blue Champions league final appearance here is Spurs European record under Poch

2014/15 - Europa league Round of 32 exit to Fiorentina

2015/16 - Europa league Round of 16 exit to Dortmund

2016/17 - Champions league group exit, Leverkusen and Monaco finished ahead of them and round of 32 exit in Europa league to Gent

2017/18 - Champions league Round of 16 exit to Juventus

So tonight was a simliar European exit to what happened under Poch
 

bosnian_red

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Sorry to bump up, i have to admit he is a class manager and a wonderful motivator. What he achieved last season without any summer signings was a miracle.
Last season was a fluke for them to get to the CL final like Di Matteo winning it for Chelsea. Pochettino's good work was in the previous years at spurs, but they were shite last season and they were just as bad under Poch this season. Only difference is they have 2 injuries to the only players who know how to score goals for them and they've fully collapsed as a result now.
 

Judge Red

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Some clubs might get away with trying this but Spurs ain’t one of them. Levy has gone full villain during this crisis.

If Poch is feeling charitable, he can make the donation himself. There’s no reason for him to not tell Levy to feck off.
 

2 man midfield

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I like where we’re going under Ole but there’s always this nagging feeling that we should just act without sentiment and just go and get him. I sort of hope he’d just hurry up and join Bayern or something so it’s not even an option anymore.
 

TrustInOle

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I like where we’re going under Ole but there’s always this nagging feeling that we should just act without sentiment and just go and get him. I sort of hope he’d just hurry up and join Bayern or something so it’s not even an option anymore.
I am fully on support of what Ole is currently doing at the club, but would be lieing if I didn't appriciate your sentiment. How long of a contract did we give Ole? Also, what are the chances of Ole moving into more of a sporting director role, as his biggest plus for me has been his recruiment strategy and desire to have a certain mental aspect when joining the club.

Not by any means advocting that I want Ole replaced, but the last 18 months there have been an awful lot of fingers pointing to Poch eventually being here. What are your thoughts?
 

2 man midfield

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I am fully on support of what Ole is currently doing at the club, but would be lieing if I didn't appriciate your sentiment. How long of a contract did we give Ole? Also, what are the chances of Ole moving into more of a sporting director role, as his biggest plus for me has been his recruiment strategy and desire to have a certain mental aspect when joining the club.

Not by any means advocting that I want Ole replaced, but the last 18 months there have been an awful lot of fingers pointing to Poch eventually being here. What are your thoughts?
Think we gave Ole 3 years, so until 2022. The middle part of his reign was dire, yet we finally seem to be gaining some real momentum. However if we acted ruthlessly and moved him upstairs for Poch now, there would always be a question mark over Ole's tenure, espeically if Poch failed. We should have stuck with the plan etc.

I have always liked the idea of Ole as DOF with Poch as manager. It would be a bit of a kick in the Travellers to Ole now, but that's essentially what he thought was happening when he took the caretaker job: fill in until we find a suitable replacement. I can't say it would sit right with me though.
 

The Mitcher

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People thinking Ole would just move to a DOF for another person are well, I dunno, wishfully thinking? Would you want to go to a lower position for someone else?
 

crossy1686

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Pochettino will be sacked within 18 months of joining any or Europe's elite anyway, people talking as though his next job will be for 20 years. If Solskjaer does make a mess of things we'd only have to wait for 6 months before he came available anyway, for the time being, Solskjaer is the manager and long may it continue.
 

2 man midfield

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People thinking Ole would just move to a DOF for another person are well, I dunno, wishfully thinking? Would you want to go to a lower position for someone else?
When he first took the job on in December 2018? Yes, since that was his brief. Fill in for 6 months while we look for the right guy/size up a move for Poch. But now I think he'd be well within his rights to kick off. As I say, it wouldn't sit right with me if we did that. Sacking him altogether is one thing, but expecting him to work alongside the guy you were demoted for? Nah.
 

Skills

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Moving to DOF wouldn't be a demotion. Head coaches sit beneath a DOF in the hierarchy as it's the DOF who calls the shots on hiring/firing head coaches.
 

2 man midfield

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Moving to DOF wouldn't be a demotion. Head coaches sit beneath a DOF in the hierarchy as it's the DOF who calls the shots on hiring/firing head coaches.
Even so, we'd essentially be saying to him "You know that job we trusted you to do 12 months ago? Well it hasn't worked out. We'd like to remove you from it and give it someone we think could do it better."

Hard not to think of that as a demotion.
 

Skills

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Even so, we'd essentially be saying to him "You know that job we trusted you to do 12 months ago? Well it hasn't worked out. We'd like to remove you from it and give it someone we think could do it better."

Hard not to think of that as a demotion.
I'd say it's more like

"We recognise you're not very good at this coaching thing, so we'd rather bring in someone who is. But we think you've done a good job off the field, so want to retain you in that capacity."

It's not as if there are clubs lining up to offer Solskjaer a job, so he'd take it.