POINT MADE AFTER POCH GETS ANGRY

Lamela strike saves Spurs but Everton impress on Koeman’s Goodison debut

MUCH more of this and Mauricio Pochettino will be cast as Mr Angry every week. Pre-season had started with him lambasting Tottenham’s players for the way they ended the last campaign and 45 minutes into the new term, he was raging again.

Pochettino’s Tottenham have become renowned for their intensity and the boundless stamina that sees them run opponents into submission, but in the first half at Everton the Argentine looked on in disbelief. This wasn’t the team he recognised and he was in no mood to mince his words.

‘I was tough with them and I think that a lot of things happened,’ Pochettino said, giving an insight to the words he found in the dressing room as Tottenham trailed to Ross Barkley’s early free-kick. ‘We made a lot of mistakes in our positions and we did not respect our positions.

‘This (strong words) is all a manager has when we are not happy. It is normal. But in the end you try not to be too critical. It was my responsibility too and I tried to change things to change the score and create chances and win the game.’

Given he has stewed all summer over the way Tottenham capitulated at Newcastle on May 15 — ‘I wanted to kill them,’ he confessed last week — we can only wonder how dark Pochettino’s mood would have become had they faltered at Goodison Park.

As it was, they left with a point thanks to Erik Lamela’s header and had it not been for two terrific saves from Maarten Stekelenburg late in the game, Tottenham would have headed home with a victory — though that would have been cruel in the extreme on Everton.

There was a fanfare ahead of kickoff, with Ashley Williams — their £9million acquisition from Swansea — being paraded on the pitch before attention turned to the new manager and a giant screen between the Bullens Road and Park End projected the message “Welcome Ronald”. Koeman, clearly, was not comfortable with the fuss or the razzamatazz and simply gave a cursory wave to all sides of the ground. He wanted everything out of the way so he could concentrate on the important business of getting his reign off the ground.

Much to his relief, then, Everton’s players roared out of the blocks and gave him the perfect start when Barkley’s free-kick arrowed into the area and left Hugo Lloris unsure whether he should stick or twist. He did neither and the ball skidded past him, nestling in the corner to raucous glee.

The confidence that goal gave the home side was tangible. There is a hum of anticipation around Goodison when Everton’s players pester and hassle and harry their opponents, a hum that has been missing for a couple of years, but gradually it began to return as they swarmed over Tottenham.

A figure of animation in his technical area, Koeman looked ready to pounce himself at times as Everton hunted in packs, with Idrissa Gana Gueye catching the eye on his debut and James McCarthy doing likewise in the unfamiliar role of right wingback.

There were others. Gareth Barry was, as always, a calming influence, Phil Jagielka – another old head – ushered Mason Holgate through the difficult moments on his debut, while Gerard Deulofeu provided menace up front, with Romelu Lukaku absent until next week.

Deulofeu should really have put the game beyond Tottenham just before the interval, when he scampered on to a wretched back-pass from Danny Rose and held off Vertonghen but his shot was too close to Michel Vorm, who had come on to replace the hamstrung Lloris.

It was a big moment and the way Koeman reacted — flinging out his hands and shouting his frustration — left everyone aware about the size of the opportunity.

‘If we take that then it’s a different game,’ said Koeman. ‘Being one or two goals up is a completely different situation. The first 45 minutes was really excellent. We had good team organisation, we put a lot of energy in, and we were very dangerous up front.’

Pochettino made a tactical change in the 57th minute when new signing Vincent Janssen was introduced.

Within two minutes Spurs were level and it was a fine goal, too, Toby Alderweirled ushering Kyle Walker forward and the England right-back whipped a ball into an area that demanded Lamela apply an emphatic finish.