Poch, it’s United... perfect time to get rid of that blot on your Spurs CV
If Mauricio Pochettino is half the manager most of us think he is, that might well be his team talk tomorrow evening.
He needs to try something different, that is for sure.
In four Premier League visits to Old Trafford with Spurs, Pochettino has not seen his team score a goal, never mind pick up a point.
But after an unconvincing win over Leicester, a defeat to Brighton and with the rancour that seems to be rife behind the scenes, United appear vulnerable enough for Pochettino to reprise one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest lines. Lads, it’s Tottenham.
It referred, of course, to Spurs’ soft underbelly, a weakness under pressure, a knack for finding a way to lose.
Under Pochettino, that has largely been eradicated, although the sternest critics could point to the FA Cup semi-final loss to United last season and the Champions League beating by Juventus as evidence of a continuing malaise.
Yet his team’s performances at Old Trafford remain a blot on Pochettino’s CV – a CV that, despite its lack of trophies, a lot of good judges believe could still land him the job at United when Mourinho moves out.
Indeed, the feeling remains that some key figures inside Old Trafford – and some supporters, no doubt – would have preferred Pochettino to Jose Mourinho as a successor to Louis van Gaal.
Remember when Pochettino had lunch with Sir Alex a couple of years ago? In a London restaurant staked out 24-7 by the paparazzi?
Pochettino signed a new Spurs deal a couple of days later and Mourinho to Manchester was as good as done, but the symbolism of the meeting was striking.
If ever Pochettino ended up at United, it would meet with Ferguson’s approval.
Not that Pochettino has ever shown any signs of hankering after the United job, or, indeed, any other job. He recently signed another new contract that, theoretically, will see him stay in North London until 2023.
Pochettino was linked with the Real Madrid post when Zinedine Zidane walked out but it soon became clear he was not a contender.
Maybe Real knew his commitment to Spurs was solid or maybe they did not really fancy him. Pochettino’s lack of trophies is occasionally used as a stick to gently beat him with.
Competing against the financial superpowers of the Big Six is not easy, especially when your club has a history of selling its top talent.
Imagine if Pochettino had Luka Modric, Kyle Walker and Gareth Bale to field against United tomorrow. If Pochettino puts Spurs into serious title contention, he is punching above his club’s weight. But for Pochettino’s reputation to continue to grow, he could use a performance at a big rival’s home. In 20 Premier League away fixtures at Big Six venues, Pochettino’s Spurs have recorded only two wins.
That is the sort of record that would have prompted Ferguson to trot out his trusted line. Lads, it’s Tottenham.
It is a reputation Pochettino, for all his brilliant work, has yet to shed.
That is why the first big blockbuster match of the season is not just about Jose. against RB Leipzig today – and performs as promisingly as he did on occasion towards the end of last season – his selection should come ahead of his former team-mate’s.
If only because Sancho’s decision to desert the good ship Guardiola showed he has some serious backbone. IT was December 16, 2017, when Sunderland won their third league game last season. They achieved the feat this season on August 22 when 2,200 of their fans made the 600-mile, 10-hour round trip to Gillingham on a Wednesday night. Of course, they were in the Championship last season and now in League One. But so what? Winning games and scoring goals is fun. Relegation — even to the third tier — is not the disaster it is cracked up to be.