Lloris feels Spurs are in a good way but need patience

Against Liverpool it was just like last season, there was only one team in the game and we were totally out played. There can be no hiding place from the fact we were a million miles from top four material.

Hugo Lloris Spurs in a good way


In our defence of course is the fact that we are only three games into learning how to play a new system so at the moment it is still largely last years team. Our new towering centre-half has not started, not learnt our system and players. Our left-back has not yet settled enough to force his way into the team, although he is forcing Danny Rose to put in improved performances.

We have injuries at right-back so are having to provide reserve cover. We now have two defensive midfielders instead of one and they are having to learn to move the ball forward quicker.

Christian Eriksen has only just moved centrally after spending a season out wide in the wilderness and using three behind a loan striker is another change. They have all got to learn their roles within the system and the role of everyone else too.

While the players know the basic system they still need to get used to it in match conditions, something you can never truly replicate on the training field. It is far too early to determine the true, rather than perceived quality of the squad. We were in  the position last year of being able to beat anyone but the top four and that's where we still are. In time we will find out whether that gap is being closed or whether we are treading water.

The Liverpool way of playing hasn't changed. It took them a season to learn and now they come out the blocks trying to win every game early. That takes a particular mental approach. Once done they can simply control a game. We on the other hand generally start a game with the intent of not conceding a goal and feeling our way into the game almost. Last season we were aiming for 0-0 at half-time and try to win the game in the second half.

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That is a totally different mental approach to that of Liverpool. Try to win verses try not to lose, one is positive, one is negative and that will always affect performance. I'm hoping to see a mental change this season. Fighting fires after 2 minutes immediately puts one team in the mental ascendancy. We need to be the team in the mental ascendancy and not the team playing catch-up.

On Sunday Liverpool should have scored after 2 minutes when they ripped a whole through us at right-back and Hugo Lloris saved our bacon from a Balotelli header away from 3 yards. Hugo Lloris indicated the difficulty when faced with a fast approach.

“When you concede a goal after nine minutes it starts to be difficult. 
“We now have to learn from this game. It’s just the beginning of the season, our third game, and we know that we are in a good way but we have to keep going, keep working and keep the right spirit. 
“Now we have an international week so we’re going to think about our national teams and after that we will come back and be focused on the Sunderland game, which will be very important for us to bounce back as a team.”

It's the usual line, 'we have to learn from this', but in defence that is what you have to do and in our case it is very much what we have to do, we are still in the learning phrase. The full significance of the phrase is almost lost though given the mantra is used so often.

Many will swing from optimism to despair, some have even crazily shouted Levy out. It's been 3 games and these so called supporters haven't even given the manager a chance to show what he can do. They seem to ignore the fact the manager decides who we sell, not the chairman, they don't understand the transfer window it seems and squad structure, they don't understand transfers, wage bills, they haven't grasped Pochettino helps decide how much we should pay for players.

If you have a family income of £25,000 ($40,800 - €31,528) you don't go out and spend £50,000 ($81,600 - €63,057) or buy a shiny new object every year just for the sake of it. In effect that is what these supporters are saying Spurs should do though.

Do these people get an electricity bill of £100 ($163 - €126) and tell the electricity company I'll pay you £200 ($326 - €252) because I really need the electricity? They expect Spurs effectively to do just that because it isn't their money, they even expect the owner to spend his own money for their benefit, why should he?

Not one has produced a name of anyone who would do a better job, but then the grass is always greener on the other side isn't it!

Patience people, we need a little patience and allow the manager to show what he can do, but of course patience in today's now now now society is a very rare commodity indeed.

Three games, some people simply can't be satisfied.