POCH YOUR LANGUAGE!
Mauricio’s learnt
NOT many people shout “f*** off” in Sean Dyche’s face and live to tell the tale.
But Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, who celebrates six years as a Premier League manager this weekend, did.
The Argentine admits mastering the English language has been one of his toughest battles on these shores – like “learning Chinese”.
Especially when it comes to the confusing industrial lingo often heard within the game – and his failure to understand its true meaning.
All of which led to a potentially disastrous, ultimately comical confrontation with Burnley boss Dyche during the South American’s early days at White Hart Lane.
Ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Fulham today, Pochettino recalled: “It was very funny a few years ago with Sean on the touchline.
“Sean was saying, ‘F***ing this, f***ing that’, and in one moment I turned to him and said, ‘F*** off, Sean. Hey, Sean, f*** off ’.
“My coaching staff said to me, ‘Mauricio, F*** off, no!’ I said, ‘Sorry, Sean, I apologise’. I didn’t want to disrespect him, I thought I was saying, ‘Shut up’.
“If you said in Spanish, ‘Hijo de puto’, it doesn’t mean ‘f*** off ’. But it’s different for you.
“If we swear like that, it doesn’t have the same impact as an English person saying it.”
During his time in this country, so much has changed in the managerial world.
Poch, 46, has gone from Southampton to Spurs, for starters, with his stock and standing making him Manchester United’s top choice to take over next summer.
Then there’s the technology at the coach’s disposal, the large scouting and stat teams and the obscene amounts of money required for a top club to compete for major honours.
Yet, amid those developments, one thing has remained constant, according to Pochettino.
The need to be a brilliant man manager in order to be a brilliant football manager was, is, and always will be, essential. Without those skills, the ex-Espanyol coach claims getting the very best out of players is impossible.
And he pointed to arguably the greatest manager of all, Sir Alex Ferguson, to prove his point.
Pochettino identifies Fergie’s ability to communicate with several generations of Manchester United superstars as the key factor behind his longevity and success at Old Trafford.
It comes down to a manager’s willingness to integrate on a basic, personal level. Sounds simple. Yet, as United under Jose Mourinho showed, it is not.
“The opponent is important. Your methods are important, your philosophy and ideas,” added Poch.
“But to have time to be human, and to know the people in front of you, the people under your management, that’s the key.
“If you know the person beneath the surface, you’re going to be successful
– and you’re going to help the dressing room and the future. If not, for sure it’s difficult.
“You’re going to be successful in a short period, but in the medium and long-term, you’ll fail.
“The worst thing as a human being is to underestimate the people in front of you. You always need to think they’re the most clever.
“Today, like always – as it was for
Sir Alex at United – the key point is man management. Human skills are the most important.
“Technology, machines, data – they don’t feel anything. I’m talking about the real human. We need to feel the love, we need emotion.
“Football is a contest of emotion.
If we forget that, we’re going to kill the game.” Fulham v Spurs, Today, Sky Sports Main Event, 4pm Aug 2018: Tottenham 3 Fulham 1 Feb 2017: Fulham 0 Tottenham 3 Apr 2014: Tottenham 3 Fulham 1 Dec 2013: Fulham 1 Tottenham 2 Mar 2013: Tottenham 0 Fulham 1
Fulham – 13 wins Tottenham – 44 wins Draws – 26
ENGLISH LESSON: Mauricio Pochettino with Spurs’ Three Lions star Kieran Trippier