I was at funeral yesterday which went into extra time, so I’ve spent this morning watching the game for the first time.
Looks like I’m to be a pallbearer two days on the bounce.
Briefly reflecting upon Poch’s strange prematch presser – complete with its bizarre bovine bon mot, it’s difficult not to discern the early signs of a manager on the slide.
I like like tough, combative mangers. However, there’s much weight to the maxim that respect is earned and doesn’t just come with the job.
Mauricio’s impression of a not just smart but seasoned cookie who knows his own mind, is horribly undermined by the fact that he has a woefully thin CV.
Poch has painted himself into a corner with his playing personnel. The promotional trip to the USA and World Cup have taken their toll, and tha fatigue is compounded by a bench close to bereft of answers.
He’s lied about the Academy’s relevance to proceedings, and technical schmechnical it’s now evident his ‘berry happy’ squad isn’t really.
Read my latest column in The Sun
Dumping Trippier and Alderweireld wasn’t quite the End Of Days as some were quick to leap to suggest, it was however more fundamentally stupid given that of all his tired charges, this pair were still firing on all cylinders.
We’ll get stuck into the mechanics of the loss in due course, but capping your own energy levels before a ball was kicked was nonsensical.
Losing to the weakest side in a really tough group wasn’t clever, but not quite as intellectually challenged as turning up without the right tools for the job.
It’s not just 3 losses in a row that are a cause for concern, it’s the manner of them.
Tactically Pochettino is looking rather clueless, primarily because of the self inflicted feel to the whole situation.
It’s not ideal, but feeling that it was a pity you lost a game can sometimes help cushion the blow.
Poch will have to search long and hard to find anyone who has any pity for him this season.
