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| "This is my boyhood club!" |
I think one of our greatest strengths lies in the fact that many of our players are unknown quantities this season. With a couple of exceptions, we can't really write off any of our players, especially those signed in the last 12 months. Playing under AVB during the latter stages of his managerial stint would have been far too restricting for most players. From the uncompromising Portugeezer to the unintelligent pub geezer, our players would likely have been demotivated to the point of suicide under Sherwood. This could be seen as pure excuse making by the cynics among you but I think it's only fair that the majority of our players are given a fair go under a more competent manager.
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| "You know what, I don't even like football" |
On a slightly separate note, I've noticed just how divided our fans are in their views of our central midfielders. Literally everyone I've spoken to has a different opinion on Capoue, Sandro, Paulinho, Dembele, Bentaleb and Holtby. It's honestly so strange. I've known our fans to slate Paulinho relentlessly while some can see genuine potential in his play. Some of our supporters like what Capoue brings to the side, others prefer Sandro's dynamic defensive displays. A few fans rate Dembele as our best midfielder but I've also heard him called the most overrated of the bunch. The jury is still out for most of these guys, but I fully trust Pochettino to make the right decisions when it comes to who stays and who goes. As I've said, that's one of the most exciting aspects of this new season; the air of unpredictability about how our players will perform.
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| Capoue is hoping to jump ahead of the competition. GET IT, JUMP!? AHAHAHAHA |
Speaking of the Poch... how refreshing to have a stylish, young, semi-bearded foreign manager with a bit of experience in England. Wait a minute, didn't we try this a couple of years ago? Yes, but I'll tell you why I think things are different with Mauricio. First off, his style of football is far more evolved than his predecessors. Pochettino's high pressing game comes fully equipped with the mentality of winning possession and distributing it forward as fast as possible. No, that doesn't mean 70 yard diagonals from Dawson. Judging by our pre-season performances, we tend to play in quick triangles in an attempt to move the ball to the Erik's, Lamela and 'Sen. From what we've seen of Pochettino at Southampton, this style of play has brought success in the Premier League and so doesn't come with the risk of an AVB for example. He's also far less likely to ostracize players, as per the glowing reviews his ex-Southampton players gave him. It appears everyone was on board.
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| Anyone who points with this much confidence and sassiness is bound to succeed. |
This time around we should certainly be more settled. Everyone has had a year to adapt, and the majority of our signings have Premier League experience. Ben Davies is a welcome acquisition in a much-needed position and Michel Vorm gives Lloris the competition that an aging Friedel would struggle to do. I'm more than happy with the younger signings Dier and Yedlin, especially since there is no pressure on them to come into the side immediately. In fact, Yedlin will remain in America until 2015 at least on loan. One for the future certainly. This adds to the strong youth contingent we have in place, with the likes of Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane hoping to impress further after strong starts last campaign. I think the former could have a really good season. Although he divides opinions, his composure, ability to put a foot in and eye for a pass give him an important toolset for Pochettino's plans.
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| Two to watch. |
Finally, I hope you'll pardon the double entendre in the title. Not only am I looking ahead to the new season, I'm really excited for it. Roll on West Ham tomorrow. Can't be any worse than last season, surely?
COYS!
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