Vindication for Pochettino

For as long as I can remember, Spurs have had a serious weakness. It was not really a weakness of talent or technical ability, but one of mentality. When it came to the crunch, in the big games, we just wouldn’t really show up.

For at least the past 25 years, we have suffered from something of an inferiority complex – regardless of form, or how well we might start the game, we would invariably implode, the result perhaps of poor refereeing decisions, a lack of composure, or, more often than not, giving too much respect to the opposition. We just didn’t seem to believe we were good enough to get results against the big teams.

Redknapp resolved this to an extent, but it was often through backs-to-the-wall performances or lucky results – not through domination of games. So, when we were looking for a new manager in the summer, my primary concern was that we bring in someone capable of altering that psychology, and bringing a winning mentality back to the club. And I’ll be honest and say that I thought Frank de Boer would be able to do that better than Pochettino. De Boer has won pretty much everything worth winning in football, and the idea of him bringing that experience and mentality to the club just felt like the best way forward.

[linequote]The team looks hungrier and fitter than any I can recall, even more so, perhaps, than the side that qualified for the Champions League[/linequote]

The start of this season did little to alter that view. Capitulation at home to Liverpool and away at the Etihad suggested we were no closer to overcoming the inferiority complex, and defeats against West Brom, Newcastle and Stoke suggested Poch was struggling to impose his philosophy at a club of Spurs’ stature, perhaps a consequence of his relative inexperience.

But the transformation at the club over the past two months has been nothing short of miraculous. We have shown fantastic resilience to win games late on at Villa, Hull, Swansea, and Leicester. We were magnificent in the home win against Everton. The team looks hungrier and fitter than any I can recall, even more so, perhaps, than the side that qualified for the Champions League. And while some might argue that those results came against sides who were out of form, or in games where we were the poorer side despite the result, there can be no arguing with the last two games.

We were more than a match for Utd, and while they dominated the first half, our superior fitness was clear to see in the second – all the more impressive considering how many additional games we’ve played compared to Van Gaal’s team this season.

And then there was Chelsea. I still don’t think my head believes what my eyes saw. I won’t go into too much detail on this, because I could write a whole book waxing lyrical about Harry Kane alone. But I will say this: this was a full strength Chelsea side, and we won, not through luck, or through a plucky, backs-to-the-wall display, but because we were just better than they were. Even when they went 1-0 up, the point at which so many Spurs sides of recent years would have capitulated, we stayed strong and fought our way back, believing that we were good enough, and proving it too.

[linequote]Against a full strength Chelsea side, and we won, not through luck, or through a plucky, backs-to-the-wall display, but because we were just better than they were[/linequote]

The credit for all of this surely has to go to Pochettino. He has built a team that is well-balanced, technically gifted, physically and mentally resilient, at peak fitness, and now has also demonstrated real belief in their ability to compete with the best. Hell, he’s even got the Lane rocking again! And I will be the first to admit that I was wrong to have doubted him in the summer. Moreover, if this is what he has achieved in six months on relatively limited resources, imagine what he can do given time and some financial backing. I think it could be a very exciting 2015.