Much has been made of of the Pochettino template. Talk of pressing at The Lane is usually reserved for discussions about getting one’s dancing trousers ready for a Magistrates Court appearance.
We’ve been told that the training regime is tougher under Morrie.
Rather than disappear up our own vernaculars speculating on what any of this might actually mean (so far we have a grand total of just 2 friendlies to go one), this article looks as if it will shed some light on matters.
The following extracts are from an interview in L’Equipe with our next signing, Morgan Schneiderlin.
You spoke about pressing earlier, does Pochettino like to isolate the player in possession, or does he prefer playing 1v1 all across the field?
First of all, we have to close the central zones. He keeps saying it’s the heart of play and there’s always more options from the central zones: switches of play etc…
He emphasises on blocking passing lanes. Anyway when I do press, I try to leave the worst passing option possible to the opponent.
Pochettino asks us not to give the opponent the choice. But it requires a massive amount of work from a collective point of view. It’s not surprising after six or seven months working on it that we’re now able to harass and fully imbalance some of the teams we face.
We couldn’t do that from the start as it’s a massive work put in at training.
He wants us to recover the ball as high as possible, so for that it’s usually up to a forward to trigger the pressing ; so then we’ve to follow.
Personally, I sometimes have to leave my zone to help on one side if a winger who was out of position because he was in a forward zone and couldn’t fall back in time.
I’m the closest to the ball to intervene so then even if I’m tired, I’m kicking my ass. So then, the winger has to fill my zone and then we switch positions.
This is the basic philosophy.
We have precise drills and patterns depending of the situation. On goal kicks, if they attack from the right side etc.
Pochettino is all about detail, really. I recall that he showed us from the start that a meter or half a meter could block two passing lanes in midfield.
We just had to move a step ahead or orientating our body a given way to face the opponent in order to put him into trouble
How is all that implemented on daily basis at training?
You’re ought to know we play a 11v11 game every Wednesday. It’s often against the reserves, or the academy ; youths basically but intensity is maximal.
The staff implements several patterns of play depending of the situations. And as we changed the system – because Pochettino likes to play with a 10 and a lone striker – because Osvaldo and Lambert are both out and out forwards, it requires adaptation
We work on patterns to get the ball out from the back on goal kicks: the last two games, both CM had to get to both angles of the penalty box while the two CB had to spread to both sides of the box.
Full backs have to get close to the byline and the midway line. The purpose is to get the ball out from the back on ground and not hoofing the ball on Lambert.
If the pass toward Wanyama isn’t possible, we have the two center backs. If opponents close us down, so then both full backs are unmarked in a free zone. The aim is to find them as soon as possible in order to write off the most opposing players as we can.
If ever we don’t have a short option, that means that the opponent has closed us down as a team ans so then we’ve to play long on Lambert because it will be 1v1 in the air. But we often change that pattern because opponents adapts after a couple of games.
While attacking, there’s also the will to pass the ball on the floor and stretch opposing defences. Hence how crucial is your role as you’re a specialist to switch the play?
We must know how to oxygenate play, dictating the rhythm, surprise the opponent. Pochettino asks me to switch the play often because he likes that.
He wants us to develop a genuine playing identity. Even falling back as a team is necessary, he gives us license to attack. He wants his full backs to get into attacking positions, put under pressure opponent’s wingers. We always have to scan around.
