Confirmation of why Pochettino is better than the rest

Confirmation of why Pochettino is better than the rest

Many have relayed the Danny Rose interview ahead of the England versus Wales game and most have focussed on the obvious elements of it, but they are not the most important points it makes.

I have written many an article on the mentality of players like Gareth Bale and how his mentality is a role model to others, how Harry Kane is the current role model that others should be emulating. I make that point because Danny Rose mentions something that seems to have gone unnoticed.


"I’ve never had a manager take time to work on me as a left-back and help me improve until Mauricio came to Tottenham."

That explains why daniel Levy has sacked managers because they don't do what they are employed to do, improve the players at their disposal to challenge for trophies. They have all been managers who just gel players and hope for the best.

Players like Gareth Bale improve despite the manager, they have the mentality that I must improve every day to get to where I want to be. They have the internal motivation and drive to do that, most players don't. It is the managers job to find out what motivates each individual and that may be something outside football, but he has to find that and cultivate it to motivate the individual. The top coaches know this, the average coaches don't bother, they just concentrate on coaching football.

If you as a player have a coach who is interested in you, interesting in doing what it takes to make you a better quality player, then you give him all you've got and follow him wherever he takes you. You trust him and will fight your damnedest for him.

It is one throwaway line, but it speaks volumes. It isn't enough just to coach players, the job involves so much more if you want to be successful. Daniel Levy has been right to dismiss those not up to the job, they have had the tools, all they had to do was improve them, they couldn't.

Sports science and sports psychology is coming to the fore, you either stick your head in the sand and pretend it doesn' exist or you embrace it and have a chance of winning things. Pochettino is in the latter bracket and we are seeing the resukts.