Can Mauricio Pochettino Continue to Keep Tottenham Hotspur's Players Patient?
Patience has been a virtue for Tottenham Hotspur's players this season. Or rather, it is proving something altogether more practical and vital to their encouraging collective form.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is striving for a competitiveness in his squad that makes rotation more than a necessity. He wants the "next man up" mentality to be one of the greatest strengths of the currently second-place Premier League side.
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Impressively, the Argentinian has mostly succeeded here so far, keeping almost everybody on board.
In the midst of the latest test of his squad's depth—the short turnover between UEFA Europa League action and the resumption of the FA Cup—he has been keen to stress his reliance on all his players.
Speaking to Tottenham's official website in between this gap, Pochettino went so far as to say "the mentality is perfect." He went on:
"The players just want to play every game. They feel they are strong, feel they can all play every game and win every game. We need to carry on in the same way.
We have a strong squad and in this period it’s important to use them all, to keep them all motivated and fit. It’s important to look after every single player.
There is big competition (for places) between them and that’s a benefit for the team.
"
That competition for places has been seen most notably in Pochettino's use of his full-backs. The frequent rotation since the turn of the year of the right-sided Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier, and left-backs Danny Rose and Ben Davies, has coaxed a largely positive response.
The logic is not always completely apparent in why each pairing is used when it is. There is a case for Davies and Trippier being more productive going forward, Rose and Walker as smarter performers defensively. But even more obvious interpretations of their specific functions are subject to unclear factors relating to Pochettino's thinking and training-ground work we are not privy too.
What is certain is the commendable response of those involved.
Davies and Rose have been familiar with the dynamic since last season. Pochettino's late-2014 use of the Wales international spurred the previous first-choice left-back into upping his efforts.
"The competition drives you on," Rose told the Spurs website last May of he and Davies' battle for minutes. "It makes you want to improve every aspect of your game. ... We’ve gone toe-to-toe this season."
Those two have shared a more equal-footing this time around, but it is something Walker is having to get used to, having played every Premier League game up until Watford in December.
If there has been any frustration at Trippier taking some of his minutes, Walker is channeling it well. Back in the team for last week's 2-1 win over Manchester City, his good job shackling Raheem Sterling forced Manuel Pellegrini to move the winger elsewhere after the interval.
Trippier has done well, too, after biding his time with sporadic cup appearances up until Christmas. His winner in the return game against Watford a great moment for the young defender.
"It’s the same on the other side of the defence with Ben Davies and Danny Rose—it’s a toss of a coin as to who plays each game as everyone is applying themselves correctly," Walker told Spurs' website earlier this month, with Trippier also highlighting the strategy's motivational aspects.
"It keeps everyone fresh and on their toes—there’s competition in every position in this team now and that’s great because it only makes you a better player and you can push each other on," the former Burnley man said.
Elsewhere, Pochettino has indeed looked to reward good performances with opportunities. Albeit less systematically.
Consequently, various players have injected timely boosts at different points of the season, opening up unknown or underutilised tactical ideas in the process.
Mousa Dembele started the season as the nominal right-midfielder, but it was an eye-catching defensive midfield outing against Liverpool (having just recovered from injury) where he really seized his moment.
His successful covering for the suspended Eric Dier opened up in Pochettino's mind the possibility of using Dele Alli further forward. A switch that is continuing to pay off.
For Tom Carroll, chances were infrequent up until December. Since then, he has gone about proving himself a reliable, increasingly confident role-player.
Kevin Wimmer had to similarly bide his time prior to last month. Recently, we have also seen Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela and Heung-Min Son all come in and make a difference after time on the sidelines. Each buying into the team-first mentality.
Up until now, dissenting voices have seemingly been kept to a minimum.
Andros Townsend was one not on board with Pochettino's meritocratic approach. The winger's international ambitions fuelling a frustration at not playing that blinded him to his largely underwhelming efforts when called upon.
His impatience culminated with a public outburst after not being called on against Aston Villa. Pochettino began leaving him out altogether, and he has since been sold to Newcastle United.
Pochettino may believe he will require all his squad while dealing with fatigue and injuries. But even as the season takes its toll, there is not always a place for everyone.
Nabil Bentaleb has not even made the bench in Spurs' last three matches. Given how well Wimmer has done deputising in defence, there are no guarantees Jan Vertonghen will immediately displace him upon recovering from injury.
It will all put Pochettino's man-management skills to use for sure. But so long as he continues to use them smartly, there is little to suggest his players will not stay as patient and match-ready as they have.
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