Dembele, Lamela approach vs Townsend approach

SPURS vs CRYSTAL PALACE



At his pre-game press conference Mauricio Pochettino spoke about the changing role of players and what a manager expects. He spoke about respecting club staff as reported in the last article.

"We use full-backs inside like a midfielder, we use wingers like a full-back, we play with midfielders that can play like centre-backs, and centre-backs that can play like midfielders, or offensive midfielders that can play like a striker. Now we are a little bit mad, the managers, we like to invent a lot."

He spoke about Andros Townsend and what he had to say we revealing, not just about Townsend, but about all players.

"Andros, as we know, he is a classic winger. He plays wider but it is not about his qualities. He wanted to play more and feel important in the team. 
"Here at Tottenham it was difficult because he was sharing duties with Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Dele Alli and Nacer Chadli. If you wanted to play more, you can wait or find another place to play."

When you want to play more, you have to produce more on the training field. You have to show the application there. It is no different than working in an office, you don't get promotion simply as a matter of course, you have to show you deserve it, when a place becomes available. Your everyday performance then matters at decision time.

If Townsend wanted to feel important in the team then he should have improved his game rather than just do what he wanted to do. You either rebel because you are not getting your own way, which in his case demonstrated he felt he was more important than the team ethic clubs need to be successful. 

Mousa Dembele on the other hand holds his hand up, takes responsibility for not being selected and improves his game. Erik Lamela sorts his mental approach out and improves his game.

We come back to the importance of mentality again. We have heard about it throughout the Olympics from athletes, coaches, commentators. Talent gets you so far, to go the extra mile you need to apply the right mental approach, same as in any walk of life. You get what you make, your lot in life isn't given to you, it is what you create, you and only you have responsibility for it.

You can blast out and blame others or look at yourself and do something about it. It isn't hard to see the different routes players take, some like an easy life, some like to push themselves.