We had another free week leading up to the Southampton game, allowing us to carry on with our collective and individual work without distractions. The whole team went out for dinner on the Thursday. I wanted to pay, but Kane and Alli wouldn’t let me and they ended up treating everyone. We were also joined by the chairman and Steve Hitchen – our new chief scout who will gather information on players for the coaching staff and Daniel as part of our new structure.
There was plenty of talk at dinner about Monaco, who’d just knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League. As a way of putting the season in context, we went back over our games against the Monégasques that saw us knocked out of the competition. We dominated at home, although we lost. They let us come on to them by defending very deep and we missed two glaring chances. We were forced into four or five changes in the away match. Injuries punished us and we started some of our less regular players. We had some clear-cut chances at 0–0, we missed a penalty and ended up losing 2–1. We came up against a good team at the worst time for us.
We went over the English sides’ results in Europe once again. You can look at it from a different perspective: what type of football is played in England which doesn’t allow us to enjoy success abroad? You can’t dominate the play in the same way in the Premier League as you can in most European competitions. Here the matches are open and long balls can create uncertainty. The fans demand a fast-paced style with quick transitions. There are so many mistakes because of the rhythm of the matches and the inevitable fatigue that sets in. Not only the style, but also the referees are different in Europe. We need to close the gap between both competitions.
I continue doing a bit of sport myself when I can. We had a game of football tennis the other day. Toni, Lloris and Winks against Miki, Lamela – who says he’s feeling better and has been training – and me. We hadn’t played in a long time. It’s very common in Argentina and we also used to play a lot at Espanyol. Toni claims that I’m a cheat, which is why we always end up bickering. I also tend to feel pain all over my body for days afterwards.
On that same day, we were paid a visit by Eduardo Domínguez, who was the Espanyol fitness coach during my final season, when manager Miguel Ángel Lotina was in charge. Eduardo is actually partly responsible for my retirement. That afternoon we exchanged a few home truths that had gone unsaid back then. I had to eat a lot of shit when others should’ve taken the blame. I was accused of controlling the dressing room and conspiring against the coach. I found it very tough and plenty of bad words were said about me. I don’t often go over that spell in my head, but there is another way to look at it: I am where I am now because I hung up my boots when I did. I turned over a new leaf with Eduardo in what was an essential cathartic exercise.
We sought out solutions to compensate for Kane’s absence for the visit of Southampton, our third and final game of the month. When we’re in such a situation, our mate-filled meetings in the office take on an air of excitement mixed with apprehension, as we try to unpick the best way to maximise our resources. Which approach should we take? What would you do? We discuss and try to visualise the plan.
We had previously played Son as a number 9 against City and he performed brilliantly in that role. Kane is a striker who has great movement and can get a goal from any position. He doesn’t possess that explosive burst of pace, but he has a great engine, helps the team and intimidates our opponents. Son is the polar opposite: he’s faster, more mobile and better suited to getting in behind and taking players on in one-on-one situations. He brings very different qualities.
The way we build the team doesn’t change according to which striker is playing. We’re sticking with three at the back because it’s the best way to incorporate our most in-form players. Right now Dier, Vertonghen and Alderweireld all have to start and we have to fit them in. This formation gives the wing-backs more space, enhancing one of our most potent attacking forces, and the increased freedom helps Alli explore his talent. Last year we switched to a 3-4-3 while attacking, and although we defended with two centre-backs, our holding midfielder Dier could drop back in to make it a back-three if needed. Now that 3-4-3 has become a constant as a consequence of the players’ development, particularly Dier’s, who is producing very solid displays at the heart of the defence.
Having Wanyama is a great help in terms of making every piece of the jigsaw fit. He’s the perfect player and that’s not just because he has played every minute in the league or because our record at White Hart Lane has been remarkable since he came into the team – we’ve won 12 out of 14 home games and drawn two. He is influential with and without the ball: he’s among the top ten Premier League players in terms of ball recoveries, passes made and tackles won. He also makes life easier for our attacking players by filling in the gaps, releasing the ball without overcomplicating matters and he’s relentless when it comes to pressing.
We almost put the game to bed in the first half-hour with Eriksen opening the scoring and Alli tucking home a penalty. We could’ve exerted greater control in the second half, but despite them clawing a goal back, I wasn’t fearful about the result. Winks came on for Son for the final 15 minutes and we moved Alli to centre-forward, until bringing Janssen on in the 86th minute.
The 2–1 win left us second heading into the international break, ten points behind Chelsea and nine ahead of Arsenal, although our neighbours have a game in hand on us, while Manchester City and Liverpool are breathing down our necks. We have once again made history by racking up ten consecutive league wins on home soil for the first time.
While en route to the room where our families were waiting for us, I took a moment to look out of one of the windows at the ongoing works at the new stadium. It’s like a huge animal gradually coming out of its shell. It’s currently silent and slowly stretching out its limbs. The coaching staff were involved in designing the dressing rooms. We were asked what could make them more functional and where certain things could be located.
It reminded us of conversations that we had during the construction of Espanyol’s new stadium, meetings that lasted just as long, with the only difference being a smaller budget at the Catalan outfit. We spent a lot of time trying to improve the club’s infrastructure. We also asked for a physio room, a gym, a relaxation room, a new kitchen and a small private restaurant for the players at the training ground, but it all had to be built with hardly any funds. The press claimed that we were separating the club from the fans. Respect for infrastructure is one of the biggest differences between England and Spain.
After the game, Karina, the kids and I grabbed our things and headed to Barcelona until the end of the following week. It was about time: during the other breaks I went to the Alps and Argentina without the family.
While I was relaxing in the garden of our flat in Barcelona, I received a link to an interview with Hugo Lloris. ‘My destiny is linked to Mauricios,’ he said. His contract extension until 2022 and wage structure fit within the club’s protocol, as decided by the chairman. It involves a base salary and a good percentage of bonuses. Daniel is the only one who knows how far we can go and why things sometimes don’t come off. He has a tough job. In England, for example, the directors don’t like players coming to the end of their contracts for fear of them leaving on a free, although it’s something that coaches could more often use to motivate them and test a player’s mental state.
Toni made the most of the time off to visit his sister who is ill. He’s suffering, but he’s carrying it on the inside. When a player has a problem, you have to react immediately, understand and explain. When it happens to a member of the coaching staff, you have no option but to keep going.
I went out for dinner in Barcelona with friends two or three times and I bumped into Josep Maria Bartomeu at the restaurant Farga. We’ve known each other for fifteen years and our children went to the same school. He was actually involved with the construction of the port in Southampton and on occasion we’ve spoken about our experiences in the city.
We gave each other a hug and spent ten minutes discussing tactics, the 3-4-3 that we use and that Barcelona sometimes employ, as well as whether or not Luis Enrique would go with it against Juventus. He offered me tickets in the directors’ box for the game.
Despite the rumours, I don’t fit the profile that they’re looking for (essentially someone who knows the club inside out). As there’s been so much talk about it, after the international break I repeated in a press conference that I’m an Espanyol man and going to Barça would be akin to signing for Arsenal, which would be impossible even if Daniel sacked me. I truly value loyalty.
I returned to the Tottenham training ground to discover some bad yet unsurprising news: Lamela is going to have hip surgery. He hasn’t played since 25 October and the pain has been continual, even when he seemed to be making a recovery. He decided to head to Rome to be seen by a trusted physio and he came back to training two months later. Before the international break, we spoke about how well he was progressing. Sometimes he’d start training with the warm-up and last until the end; on other occasions, after four or five drills, the discomfort was too much for him to bear. An athlete’s body can be unfathomable and, in some cases, extremely vulnerable. In this case, we’re going to be without him for the rest of the season.
With just a few days to go until the Burnley game, we have been visited by Stanley Okumbi, the coach of Victor Wanyama’s Kenya. We’ve decided that we have to travel to that marvellous country. It was a welcome distraction as we only had four players in training. The rest were gradually arriving back from international duty, with some of them touching down the day before the match, meaning there was no time to work on tactics. It’s difficult to know what sort of state they’ll come back in, no matter how many tests we do, which plants a seed of doubt. That’s why we’re waiting until the day of the game to decide on our line-up.
But all in all, we’re happy. Each season contains a moment or two which could be a turning point in terms of the team’s response. We all feel that thanks to fewer fixtures, the time spent reviewing our style and the break, March has allowed us to get back on track in terms of attitude, intensity and performance. There’s been a resounding and very visible improvement which should be obvious next month.
10.
APRIL
The month of truth had arrived. There was nowhere left to hide. It was time to find out who the top players were and if Tottenham really were on the up during the business end of the season. If it all fizzled out in April with six league games and an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, there would be nothing to show for all the merits of the Mauricio Pochettino method. People would say that’s Tottenham and nobody can do anything to alter that.
You play football both with and without the ball, which may be stating the obvious. In concrete terms, we wouldn’t be much cop if we played passively without battling and pressing. This came to the fore when I was asked a question in my press conference ahead of the Burnley game: ‘How would you define Mousa Dembélé?’
‘I always tell him: “Mousa, when I write a book, you’ll be one of my genius players that I’ve been lucky enough to meet, alongside Maradona, Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha and Iván de la Peña.”’ That was my answer. I also thought that if we’d signed him at 18, he would’ve become one of the best players in the world. At 28, it’s more difficult to remove habits that nobody has previously helped correct.
We’ve discussed it in depth. When we first met, he said that he knew where he needed to improve, but he didn’t. He mistakenly thought, like some others, that you don’t need to do much preparation to play football. Having said that, he has improved noticeably over the years, just like a good wine. Vertonghen, who is having the best season of his career at 30, is another good example of this. Mousa missed the first four games of the campaign, but since that point he has become a key cog in the machine. His progress means he is increasingly able to play two games a week and achieve even greater consistency. When he’s fit, his powerful profile makes a huge difference.
By the way, he’s going to be on the bench at Burnley.
*
I was sure of our starting XI yesterday, but didn’t announce it until today. We decided to play with three at the back again and Janssen up front, although he had the flu in Holland and we knew he was not 100 per cent. We asked him to keep going until his energy reserves ran low.
The first half was particularly difficult. We didn’t have clear moments of sharp and intelligent possession or create dangerous situations. They were right on our heels and were very compact defensively. We had to change our structure.
Wanyama picked up an injury with not even half an hour on the clock, after taking a blow to the back. He stayed on, but wasn’t really in a state to do so.
43rd minute: Dembélé went on for Wanyama.
44th minute: Winks twisted his ankle in what looked like an ugly injury. Sissoko went on in his place. Two of our starting centre-midfielders had to be withdrawn before the first half was up.
We managed to keep our shape during the final minutes of the first half, but I needed to change things around at the interval.
Miki told us that Palace were beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – they had kicked off at the same time as us. Cesc opened the scoring, but it was 2–1 to the visitors by the 11th minute. A surprising scoreline.
We went in goalless at the break. I switched Dier from centre-back to midfield. While we crossed the pitch to head to the tunnel, I said to him: ‘Eric, play just behind Dembélé in midfield when we attack, and when we defend, drop back in as the third centre-back.’
Back in the dressing room, I explained to the boys how we needed to play. We had to press more without the ball and look to get in behind them out wide through our full-backs, Trippier and Davies, neither of whom began the season as a starter, but they’ve both come on in leaps and bounds. It’s their turn.
We performed much better in the second half. We managed to find the path leading to their penalty area more easily and created danger. We were dragging their defenders from side to side and gaps were starting to open up. Our moment was approaching.
Goooaaall. Dier. The ball was delivered into the penalty area from a corner and it fell on the edge of the six-yard box to Eric who tucked it home. 1–0.
The goal settled us down and our game management was very good. Our opponents started to struggle.
73rd minute. Janssen put in a good shift, but couldn’t last any longer. He was replaced by Son who had been in Korea and was jet-lagged.
We instantly carved out an opening. Son played it across goal to Dele who spurned a glorious chance. The ball fell to Dele, who found Son . . . and he scored! 2–0 with 13 minutes to go.
The final whistle was about to be blown. I can’t say how, because it isn’t allowed, but news reached us that Chelsea were still losing 2–1 and that Manchester United had equalised.
Full-time. We got to the dressing room and the television was on. The match at Stamford Bridge was still going and there were seven minutes of stoppage time. Palace were camped in their own area, but they were holding firm. Final whistle! We were seven points behind Chelsea.
In the press conference, I said: ‘If Chelsea drop more points, we’ll be there. I always tell the players, “We must show we have learned from last season, that we are intelligent people.” We’ll see if we have learned. It’s true that the Premier League is more competitive this year. But we are in the fight.’
I cracked open a good bottle of Argentinian wine when I got home that evening.
*
Today, 2 April, Érik Lamela had surgery on one of his hips. He’ll certainly have an operation on the other one when he can. The fact that he underwent treatment in Barcelona and worked with the Roma medical staff obviously fed the rumour mill, but where’s he going to go? Érik has to get back to being a footballer. That’s the priority. He may not be able to train for seven or eight months, minimum.
A year and a half ago we could’ve
signed a striker, but we discovered a physical problem and didn’t want to take the risk. You end up paying for it in these situations. We missed Lamela, but our strength lies in the team.
Danny Rose also has his troubles. He has been out since January, although he could start training again at the end of this month. I invited him over to mine one evening. There had been talk of a possible transfer and that we were in for Luke Shaw. He sent me a message to ask, ‘Is it true?’
My response: ‘Why? Are you jealous?’ He arrived at seven o’clock and left after ten. We both really opened up, we shared our dreams and spoke about our families. I told him about some of my investments and even gave him advice on what to do with his money. I insisted that he would have my full backing, whatever decision he made about his future.
The team seem to be ticking over on their own accord, but Jesús and his assistants are doing their bit, keeping the group in tip-top shape and tailoring individual training regimes. We’re wary of picking up cards and suspensions, so we’ll try to use everyone who is available. Our tactical work depends on how much time we have. We have three games this week, having got the first against Burnley out of the way already, despite the fact we didn’t have any time to prepare for it. Next up is a battle against a Swansea side scrapping for their lives tomorrow and finally Watford, who are trying to ensure their season doesn’t peter out with a whimper.
Brave New World Page 26
