The evolution of Mauricio Pochettino in 2018/19: How Poch has kept Spurs competitive
As we approach the end of the 2018/19 season, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur side sit 4th in the Premier League table, and almost implausibly have reached the biggest stage of all; the Champions League Final.
On the face of it, this is something that people may have come to expect from Tottenham under the Argentine, a highly competent team that is knocking on the door of the elite clubs in Europe. Having not finished outside of the top three since 2015, people have come to expect Spurs to challenge at the very summit of the Premier League, as well as go far in European competition.
Dig a little deeper however, and therein lies a very different story of this campaign for Spurs.
It has been well documented that Spurs became the first Premier League club who failed to sign a single player in one transfer window, and Pochettino has been very much forced to make, mend and do with his squad this season. In January, Spurs midfield lynchpin of the last few seasons, Mousa Dembele, left for China, as injuries to Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama left Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks as their only senior central midfielders for a large part of the campaign.
Add this to an injury ravaged season for almost the entire Spurs squad, notably Harry Kane, Dele, Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Jan Vertonghen, Spurs squad depth has been pushed to the absolute maximum. Arguably Spurs player of the season Son Heung-Min has also missed two stints of the campaign on international duty for South Korea, following on from a gruelling World Cup, as did a majority of the Spurs squad.
It is fair to say Pochettino has been dealt a weak hand in 2018/19, but the Argentine coach has found only solutions to the deluge of problems he has faced. Whilst Spurs may have become weaker than previous seasons, fortunately their Manager has become better. This is the story of the evolution of Mauricio Pochettino.
Background
Pochettino arrived in North London in 2014, and immediately set about changing the culture of the club, as well as implementing a vibrant and exciting style of football. For his first two campaigns Spurs would line-up in a 4–2–3–1 system that he would rarely deviate from, with the overall strategy to press and possess against all opposition.
The 4–2–3–1 system that Pochettino’s early Spurs team were renowned for.
Spurs soon became a vibrant team to watch, often blowing away weaker opposition and landing some hefty blows on the top teams on home turf. Where they often struggled was away from home against the top sides, as well as against the Germanic style counterpressing sides such as Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen.
Pochettino’s early Spurs would attempt to fight fire with fire at all costs, and against the better teams would often get burnt. This unyielding devotion to his philosophy did however quickly ignite and embed an exciting style of play at White Hart Lane, despite some obvious blind spots.
The first pointer to Pochettino adapting his philosophy came with the switch in 2016/17 to a 3–4–3 system, as they went unbeaten at home all season and finished second place with 86 points. The press and possess mantra still remained however, and Spurs were humbled in Europe and dropped points in big away matches once again as they rigidly stuck to their style of play.
The first signs that Pochettino was willing to move away from the press and possess style to adapt to the opposition was in their demolitions of Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Real Madrid at Wembley in the 2017/18 season. In these games Spurs sat back, ceded more possession than usual and played on the counter-attack. This demonstrated that the Argentine was sensing that in order to move Tottenham Hotspur into the very elite category, they would need to be adaptable.
This season, with all the hurdles Spurs have had to negotiate, this new found flexibility and tactical acumen has kept them competitive, secured Champions League football once again and given their fans a memorable European campaign that will culminate in Madrid in June.
The 4–4–2 diamond
How do you fix the problem of losing Mousa Dembele? The Belgian central midfielder gave Spurs almost total control in the Spurs midfield, resistant to the most aggressive of press, as well as hoovering up opposition attacks with ease. Dembele was almost two players in one. Pochettino’s solution was to cram the midfield with as many of the qualities that Dembele brought with extra players, into a 4–4–2 diamond.
With Spurs suffering from so many injuries, the composition of the diamond has varied, Pochettino has tried to balance it with ball-winning (Eric Dier), managing transitions both ways (Moussa Sissoko), ball progression and tempo (Harry Winks), playmaking (Christian Eriksen) & creating (Dele). It would have been easy for Pochettino to trust in the systems that had served him so well previously, but he identified that Dembele was a player in relative decline even before he left, and had a plan to compensate for his departure with the diamond shape.
With this system allowing two Spurs players to occupy the last line of defence, this has provided some interesting opportunities throughout the season in how they use this to get in behind opposition defences and create chances.
Unearthing Trippier’s passing ability
One such route in behind using the diamond system was the use of one of the much maligned Kieran Trippier’s underappreciated attributes; his ability to provide progressive passes from deep into the forward line. With the England full-back not being the most natural athlete bursting forward, he has instead relied on finding good passing connections with Spurs forward players, who’s cleverly timed bursts in-between centre-back and full-back have been a productive route for Spurs.
Trippier has received a fair amount of criticism this season, but Pochettino recognised a player that had the quality to receive the ball in the middle third and deliver line breaking passes to forwards. Trippier’s predecessor at Spurs was the dynamic and mobile Kyle Walker, but Tripper does not have the same ability to cover as much ground as his England colleague. Instead, rather than arriving constantly in high positions and pinning opposition full-backs, he will often position himself in the middle third. This often draws the opponent full-back out to press him leaving space in behind which is the trigger for one the likes of Kane, Lucas and Son to exploit.
It is solutions like this that Pochettino has conjured up that has maximised the individual abilities of the players at his disposal. He is adapting the team to suit the qualities of the players.
Kane the playmaker
The diamond has also enabled Spurs best player Harry Kane to demonstrate his passing range and ability to create as well as score. With the likes of Son, Lucas and Dele always looking to stretch the opposition backline as Kane’s strike partner, this has enabled Kane the freedom to drop off his marker and into midfield positions to create.
The England striker is of course one of the world’s finest goalscorers, but he also has a wonderful range of passing which Spurs have benefitted from this season. It has been particularly beneficial in transition moments, as he drops off to receive whilst dragging his centre back marker out of position. His ability to then find his partner running into depth with first time round the corner passes and curled, lofted through balls is up there with the best.
Defenders as playmakers
Despite Spurs surrendering an element of midfield control this season, they are still often faced with low block defences which they have to break down. With central midfield being an issue with the departure of Mousa Dembele, and Harry Winks continuing injury problems, Pochettino has had to come up with a solution to their lack of creativity, ball progression and continuity in central midfield.
In this, Pochettino has asked to his centre-backs, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, to step in and become playmakers.
In games where their opponent sit deep and ask Spurs to break them down, the Belgian pair will step in and provide quality from deeper positions to feed Spurs’ potent forward players.
Toby Alderweireld is a fantastic passer of the ball, and he will look to advance into the right inside channel where he can deliver a range of passes. His presence will commit defenders towards him where he can release wide players, switch the play or play crosses into the box.
Jan Vertonghen on the other hand is a superb ball carrier, and often dribbles through midfield. This commits defenders towards him where he will look to offload the ball to a free player that his presence has created in midfield.
Asking his central defenders to also act as deep playmakers is a symptom of Spurs lack of creativity and ball progression in central midfield, through both lack of investment and player availability. It is far from ideal, but Pochettino is again demonstrating his problem solving abilities in getting the very most from his paper thin squad.
The counterattack: Here comes the Son
Under Pochettino Spurs have often sprung deadly counter-attacks when the opportunity arises, but this season they have been set-up to utilise them as their primary strategy in certain games. Indeed, their run to the Champions League final has owed much to the adaptability that Pochettino has demonstrated. It is unlikely to imagine that the early years Pochettino sides would have been set up in the manner they did in securing victories over Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, however lucky they were on occasions. The strategy gave them a chance, and fortunately the coin kept landing Spurs side up.
Their main weapon in their counter-attacking game is South Korean star, Son Heung-Min.
The Korean forward has taken his game to a new level in 2018/19, often deputising for Harry Kane as the main forward, as well as being their most potent counter-attacking outlet. The above example shows how well executed Spurs counter-attacks are using Son. As Dele wins the ball Son is immediately on the move using an inside to out movement dragging his marker with him where he is isolated 1v1 as he receives the pass.
In this example of Spurs’ famous Champions League win over Man City, they are set-up in a mid-block. Son, Eriksen and Lucas are positioned to press City’s centre back’s and deep lying central midfielder, as well as screen forward passes inside. With Dele in a covering position behind the first line of pressure, they will look to recover the ball in the middle third and immediately spring forward as a quartet.
As Laporte takes a heavy touch, Lucas immediately steals in to recover the ball. Notice how even before the Brazilian has got possession of the ball, Son anticipates the turnover and is already on the move forward before anyone including his nearest opponent, Kyle Walker. Seconds later Son had fired Spurs further ahead in the tie.
The switch to a counter-attacking style for certain games has really benefited Son, as his pace, directness and ability to finish is tailor made for a counter-attacking strategy. For Pochettino, this is not his preferred style of play, but in identifying this as something Spurs would need to really challenge the elite clubs, it is testament to his brilliance as a coach that he has created such an effective counter-attacking unit.
This tactical flexibility means Spurs can change styles mid-game with ease, the most recent example being the two-legged tie with Ajax in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The redemption of Moussa Sissoko
Moussa Sissoko’s 2018/19 season is a story of redemption, as the once maligned midfielder has turned himself into one of the first names on the team-sheet, albeit mainly because he’s one of the few senior players Pochettino has had available.
When the Frenchman arrived at White Hart Lane, he was a bench player who would more often than not be used on the right wing out position in cameo appearances. He is not a tight, needle player who can operate in tight spaces, and he soon came under fire from Spurs fans.
Pochettino stuck by his player, and explained Sissoko’s role back in 2017.
“You have to give the credit to him because he is the only player who provides balance in those transitions, — offensive to defensive, defensive to offensive — in the team,”
It is only this season where we have seen those qualities come to the fore, as he has mainly taken up his position on the right side of the Spurs midfield diamond.
In the diamond he will provide balance by staying behind the ball in the build up phase, anticipating turnovers. His right sided positioning also means he is on hand to cover Kieran Trippier, who has been targeted this season as a potential defensive weak link.
Once Spurs have securely progressed the build up, Sissoko will look to use his dynamism to get forward and support attacks, often attacking the space in behind opposition full-backs. The above example shows Trippier in his middle third position looking to play progressive passes forward. Sissoko notices the space in behind the full-back, and his forward run attracts Man United’s left sided centre-back, giving Harry Kane more space to receive a disguised pass inside from Trippier.
Everyone knows how this chance ends, as Sissoko blasted the ball high over the bar, but the sequence showed Sissoko’s value in Spurs attacking transitions. After winning the ball, he finds Kane who plays a first time around the corner pass for Son, who is again anticipating the counter-attack. Sissoko then provides a third man run into depth before receiving the ball back for the shooting opportunity. The ball, however, is still missing somewhere in Stanley Park.
The redemption of Moussa Sissoko is one of the stories of the season, as Spurs fans have eventually come to see what Pochettino was saying way back in 2017. Pochettino knew his value before anyone else seemed too, and it is also a measure of his motivational qualities as a coach to have elicited such a performance from Sissoko this season. The Frenchman remains a limited player, but his improved performances this season have been essential in Spurs’ paper thin midfield.
Core principles
It has been a gruelling season for Tottenham Hotspur, as we’ve seen Pochettino has had to constantly adapt his style, system and personnel. Despite this, the core principles of the Argentine’s Tottenham side have still remained, often with different players playing similar roles than we have become accustomed to seeing over the last few years.
Playing out from the back
Spurs will still look to play the ball out from Hugo Lloris, as the centre-backs split, full backs advance high and wide with two central midfielders playing off opposite movements.
They do not however place as much risk on the ball in this phase as some of their rivals, and will often look to progress through their full-backs as they do in the above example, with Sissoko dropping in to bounce the ball out to Trippier where he can advance.
In previous season’s Spurs progression was a lot cleaner and varied, where Mousa Dembele’s ability to handle the ball under the most extreme press allowed Spurs to play through him centrally and control all aspects of the game. This season, the principle is clear, by inviting pressure early on in the build-up, this creates valuable space in forward areas for the likes of Kane, Dele, Son and Eriksen — even if the progression isn’t clean, Spurs will happily play longer balls in to the forward line and look to win second balls. For this reason, Spurs’ games have become far more transitional.
Positional play
Pochettino still adheres to certain principles of positional play, even though he has had to be far more flexible than usual this campaign.
Here Spurs are positioned in a 4–3–3, as Dele and Eriksen position themselves in the inside channels between and behind the opposition line of pressure. The full-back and winger will operate using opposite movements, where in this case Lucas has remained wide, and Trippier moves into the inside channel.
By occupying the pitch in this manner, they are positioned on multiple receiving lines, able to create triangles and progress the ball into key players behind opposition lines of pressure. Pochettino may have had to move away from this at times this season, but positional play remains a core tenet of the Argentine’s philosophy.
Runs in behind
This may appear a simple aspect of the game, but one of the things that makes this Spurs side dangerous to any team in the world is the manner in which they constantly threaten the opposition backline.
In this instance, Kane and Son are pinning both Barcelona centre-backs as Alderweireld has the ball under limited pressure. This is the trigger for Dele, noticing that the centre-backs are occupied to make an angled, blindside run in-between them for the long ball from Alderweireld.
No less than 15 seconds later, Dele has now dropped off in-between the lines to receive the ball to play forward, which triggers both Son and Kane to make runs in behind on the blindside of their markers. This either allows Dele to play the final pass, or advance into the space that has now been created in front of the Barcelona defence.
This small sequence is a perfect example of how Spurs will constantly threaten the backline with a variation of well coordinated movement. It remains one of the key aspects of Pochettino’s Spurs, and one that is most likely relentlessly worked at on the training ground.
Conclusion
Spurs success this season owes so much to the genius of Mauricio Pochettino. He has showed tactical flexibility and a willing to bend from his philosophy whilst still retaining his core principles more often than not. He is also shown himself to be an extraordinary motivator of his players, who seem to find reserves of energy when you think there cannot possibly be any left. Most importantly, he has found solutions where many others may have been tempted to reach for excuses. Spurs fans routinely sing that Pochettino is magic, it is hard to disagree with them.
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