How Pochettino changed Spurs’ culture
Mauricio Pochettino was confident progress was being made when he witnessed his Tottenham players getting up from lunch to greet chairman Daniel Levy and shake his hand.
|||Mauricio Pochettino was confident progress was being made when he witnessed his Tottenham players getting up from lunch to greet chairman Daniel Levy and shake his hand.
It was a sign that the family ethos he demands had started sinking in and that the strict rules he imposed during the earliest part of his tenure were becoming second nature.
‘In the beginning, there were more rules but today not so many because they share the value,’ said Pochettino. ‘Today we share the rules, on and off the pitch. And the rules become a habit.
‘One example: every morning we all shake hands with each other to show respect, to show you feel for your team-mates and that you are interested in the people with whom you shake hands.
‘This is a small thing which means a lot to create a real team. A lot of things like this are important to settle in the team and show in the team. To be ready to fight for each other.’
Pochettino’s handshake of respect soon became engrained in the dressing room and one day, when chairman Levy appeared for lunch at the training ground, he found one player after another coming over to shake hands and say hello.
The manager was sure a successful team would grow from these bonds and 17 points salvaged this season from losing positions certainly supports his theory.
The mood has infected the notoriously fickle crowd at White Hart Lane, which has been mostly supportive even during awkward moments such as Sunday’s comeback win against Swansea.Such togetherness will be required against confident West Ham tonight and at home to Arsenal on Saturday.
Pochettino, however, is not afraid to embrace his team’s potential. They are young, talented, ambitious and starting to discuss privately the scale of what can be won over the next three months.
‘You cannot hide our position,’ said Pochettino. ‘We are second in the table. The dream for all professionals is to achieve these things. Players are human and they can speak about things.
‘We are close to Leicester. But it is only talk. They know the most important thing is to give their best every day, train hard and show the right mentality. We have shown character and maturity. To show character is to take the ball and play; to take a risk, to play the way we play. To be brave is not to kick someone. We play football, not rugby or boxing.
‘We are the youngest squad in the Premier League. So we have personality and we have the legs to run. The potential is massive. We are in the beginning of a great period.’
West Ham, meanwhile, have warned supporters they face bans and police charges if their behaviour shames the club tonight.
Manager Slaven Bilic and co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold are urging fans to avoid a repeat of the violent scenes, homophobia, racism and anti-semitism that have blighted this fixture.
The reverse clash between the London rivals at White Hart Lane in November saw a Hammers fan stabbed, while hundreds of hooligans had to be separated by police officers on horseback.
Bilic called on fans to behave, saying: ‘The message is that I would like the fans to be behind us, behind the team, behind the club in a positive way.
‘Fans are ambassadors of our club and they can show the world that we are big, great and a polite club. It’s a big, big derby.’
The West Ham boss has concerns about the Upton Park playing surface, which he says is ‘no good’. The turf showed signs of wear and tear in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Sunderland and Bilic believes it will be impossible to play a passing game tonight.
‘Our pitch is simply no good for us,’ said Bilic. ‘I can only hope that in these last six games it’s going to be better.’ – Daily Mail