POCH URGES SPURS TO GO TO UNITED AND BE WINNERS
After a victory even more comprehensive than the handsome 3-1 scoreline suggested, Mauricio Pochettino felt it right to challenge his side. He has seen his band of World Cup semi- finalists return emboldened from a splendid summer representing england and Belgium but here the tottenham manager felt it necessary to provide a reality check.
‘In the end, england did not win, just like tottenham did not win last season,’ Pochettino said. ‘We are here to win, not to come second, third or fourth. We are here to be first. In our squad, only Hugo Lloris won the World Cup. We need to show we are winners. Old trafford next week will be another challenge and it will show whether we are ready to compete for big things or not.’
His message was clear: do not stand still, do not settle, and prove you can transform from contenders into champions.
for Pochettino, second best will not do. the patronising plaudits from the neutrals are no longer enough. He is too talented and he knows many of his players are, too.
Pochettino may be coming to terms with uncertainty off-the-field, most notably the club’s non-existent transfer dealing and the delays in moving into the new stadium. Yet he has begun this season in an irresistible mood. His energy is infectious and those on the training ground say his demands are increasing. He has been exasperated by slow starts to Premier League campaigns and this is the first time in four years they have won their two opening fixtures.
It was curious that Pochettino set the tone early for the trip to Manchester United a week today. In his four previous league visits to Old trafford, tottenham have lost every game, failing to score a single goal. this is tottenham’s acid test. Victory would represent a serious change of perception.
there is already a developing sense within the tottenham camp that they may be the dark horses of the season. they were excellent here, moving the ball with purpose and at speed. the squad does have greater depth than many imagine, particularly in the creative positions, where Lucas Moura deputised for Son Heung-min and opened the scoring with a glorious curling strike and erik Lamela then came off the bench to cut through the fulham defence and lay on Harry Kane’s long-awaited August goal.
fulham, it should be said, are a work in progress after spending more than £100million on 12 summer signings.
And for fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic, the realities of embedding new players are emerging. ‘We made some kind of mistakes that are not acceptable for this level,’ he said. ‘But this is two and a half weeks working with these people. It is not enough. Spurs play like this after three years together. I know what I must do, I am not under pressure. I feel pressure only for my club, for my supporters because they pay for the tickets to watch the team be successful and win games.’ there is another, less tangible feeling that continues to swell at tottenham. After demonstrating their quality domestically, many have now proved themselves on the world stage. Kane, Kieran trippier, eric Dier, toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Christian eriksen, Dele Alli and Lloris all had fabulous moments in russia and have returned with renewed vigour. there is a greater swagger to their play, both individually and collectively.
At the home of english football, trippier’s golden touch returned. It was not only the free- kick he scored to restore tottenham’s lead after Aleksandar Mitrovic had pulled fulham level. He was magnificent all afternoon on the right flank, receiving those piercing diagonal balls from Dier and eriksen. His runs were on the overlap and inside, his crossing teased the fulham backline and his energy was ceaseless. this £3.5m signing from Burnley appears one of the great bargains of the Premier League era.
And what a free-kick it was, bending with pace and precision beyond fulham keeper fabri. the defender says Bury Council have been in touch with his agent, keen to allow him the freedom of the town, and trippier’s decision to step forward for the set-piece signified his enhanced confidence.
‘Some of the boys saw me shaping up to take it and said, “Is it not a bit too far out?”,’ trippier said. ‘Christian is usually much better at striking the ball into that corner than I am. But I just felt confident in that moment of time so I asked him, “Can I take this one?” and he said, “Go on.” It’s just about confidence and believing in your own ability. If you hit it over the wall you’ve got every chance of it going in.’
It is a spirit that could take tottenham further than we might have imagined.