HomeFeatured ArticlesPochettino’s New Boys - Assessing Spurs' Summer Signings

Pochettino’s New Boys – Assessing Spurs’ Summer Signings

There’s a new era beginning at White Hart Lane this season lead by Mauricio Pochettino. An era of exciting, attractive football created through a unique attacking style implemented by the Argentine. It involves high pressing and fast counter attacks in a 4-2-3-1 system. The system evolves as the forward players press. The wingers push forward to form a front 3, while the full-backs follow them, this forces the two holding midfielders to sit deeper and cover. The system suits a young energetic team perfectly. pochnewboys

Therefore, the fact the new boss has a knack for developing young players, as he did with great success at Southampton is no coincidence. Despite some scepticism dubbing him ‘another AVB’, this interest in youth development, coupled with his fresh style of football makes the coming season an exciting prospect for Tottenham fans. Whether it be Daniel Levy, Franco Baldini or Pochettino dealing with transfers, the 6 new signings certainly reflect the manager’s style and attitude. Ben Davies, Eric Dier and DeAndre Yedlin are all young raw talents ready to be moulded by Pochettino. The remaining three arrivals add to the strength in depth of the squad and serve as improvements for departures.

Signing young full-back Ben Davies from Swansea for £10 million will seem a bargain in the future if Pochettino can nurture the Welshman to his full potential. Having shipped Zeki Fryers off to Crystal Palace and with most of the Spurs faithful disillusioned with Danny Rose, Davies seems like a perfect fit. A fresh eager full-back with the ability to push forward will fit snug in the Argentine’s 4-3-2-1 formation designed for wing-backs. Thus far he has failed to emulate last season’s form but with only a few Europa League games to his name there is much more to come from the 21 year old.

Eric Dier has had a dream start to his Tottenham career with a last minute winner to see off arch-rivals West Ham and another goal a week later against QPR. Signed from Sporting Lisbon for £4 million, he seems a real steal for the Lilywhites. The England U21 is versatile, strong and good on the ball. Despite his fantasy start, when faced with quality opposition in the form of Sturridge and Sterling he struggled. This mimics the team’s form of last season where they flopped against the top 6. Overall Dier will provide great cover in an injury-prone Spurs defence and will no doubt be looking to push for a permanent spot in the near future.

Federico Fazio and Benjamin Stambouli joined the North London club from Sevilla and Montpellier respectively. They were both vital players for their previous clubs, each playing over 100 games. There is no guarantee of a starting spot at White Hart lane though with competition in both defence and midfield. However, with former Captain Michael Dawson being shipped off, Kaboul being injury prone and Chiriches out of favour. There could be a space for Fazio to fill in central defence. A consistent, strong dominant figure is exactly what is required. The 27 years old also originating from Argentina will no doubt help his relationship with the manager. Stambouli also enters the fold in a competitive position. With Pochettino backing Capoue as a permanent fixture, the other holding midfield spot is certainly up for grabs (even more so with fan favourite Sandro leaving for Loftus Road). As Bentaleb and Dembele also battle for the spot, it will be tough for the Frenchman to secure a starting role. It will no doubt prove difficult for Fazio and Stambouli to adapt to the Premier League from La Liga and Ligue 1, thus we may not see them for a while yet.

Finally, Michel Vorm and DeAndre Yedlin arriving at White Hart Lane will be useful for the depth of the squad especially with the huge number of fixtures scheduled. Last season Spurs played a whopping 53 games in all competitions, with Hugo Lloris playing 44 of those, so a more solid back up ‘keeper was seen as necessary. Vorm’s arrival has in turn allowed Brad Friedel to take up a more coach-based role at the club to use his experience and expertise. The signing will  give Lloris competition for places and potentially also a break from an intense calendar. The young American full-back Yedlin is a bright prospect for the future and the decision to send him back on loan to Seattle Sounders was a clever one from Pochettino. The transfer will also do wonders for Tottenham’s financial and marketing development, as Yedlin is a fan favourite in the USA. The move has greatly attracted interest and furthered The Lilywhites’ brand across the Atlantic. Overall, Spurs have dealt well in the transfer market in 2014, yet one concern would be their lack of addition in the attacking area. It would have seemed logical for a striker to be brought in to act as stronger back up than Harry Kane.

Although, the potential for Lamela to be revolutionised under his compatriot coach could be viewed by many as a new signing. The Liliywhites’ early season form has again reflected their mediocre league position of recent years. Dier’s last minute winner overshadowed a poor attacking performance on the opening day against West Ham. Although the victory will have settled some nerves after 3 defeats to the Hammers last term. The comfortable victory over Queens Park Rangers a week later brought optimism back to White Hart Lane for the season. A seamless example of how Pochettino’s attacking football can work despite it being against weak opposition. Beating weaker sides has always been a good habit for Tottenham, yet their form against bigger teams triggered their downfall each season. Perfectly exemplified through their 6th place finish last season after picking up only 1 point against top four opposition.

The defeat to Liverpool before the international break proved a stark reminder of this. The Merseyside team had too much quality, pace and ultimately were tactically superior. As the final whistle blows at the Stadium of Light it would seem Tottenham haven’t made any changes. A late Harry Kane own goal saw 2 points dropped for Pochettino’s men. This time it was their finishing that let them down. With over 60% possession away and double the number of shots (15) you would be forgiven for thinking Spurs were at home. Failing to convert chances and twice letting their lead slip will be major concerns for Pochettino and his coaching team.  There is certainly a new squad, new manager and new mentality but the DNA remains the same. It’s still early days in the new era but something needs to be done if Spurs want a realistic chance of a consistent Champions League spot.

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