Abhranil Roy
If you lead a side that has flattered to deceive for more than a decade now to a position in which their fans can dream of pocketing a Premier League title for the first time in 55 years, you are bound to attract attention from the best clubs in the business. And if you can back that up with a history of performing well with small clubs and an inclination to play attractive football, you are certain to bag a big job. That is exactly what has happened to Mauricio Pocchetino, the Tottenham Hotspurs manager.
The Guardian, The Sun and several other big media houses have linked him to take over the Manchester United managerial position from van Gaal after the end of the season. Spurs, who appointed the Argentine in May 2014 after his successful stint at Southampton, now sit pretty at the 2nd position in the league table, and are playing an extremely likeable style of football. Given how United fans are desperate to see both results and a United style of playing, he does look like the perfect fit for the club.
The thing is, you see, Pochettino looks like he’s off to Manchester United. Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the Red Devils have become an irresistible bad boy: despite a host of unattractive qualities, managers across the world queuing up to make them theirs, believing that they – and only they – can tame them and turn the club into something good again. David Moyes failed. Louis van Gaal is giving it his best shot, but that’s probably not going to be enough.
PLAYING STYLE
Wherever Pocchetino has managed, be it Espanyol, Southampton or Tottenham, he has more or less focused on a high pressing 4-2-3-1 system. While doing so, he instructs his team to build from the back, intimidate and unsettle opponents with a quick press system, and work the ball into the box. Pochettino’s team selection tends to include quick players with excellent stamina, likely due to those players having the attributes to excel in a high pressing system. He has also been hailed by many pundits for his focus on developing local players from the clubs’ youth academies.
HOW IT SUITS UNITED?
Manchester United, as of now, already have a lot of players capable of keeping possession and passing the ball. What the team needs right now is someone capable of giving direction to it, so that the passes don’t fizzle out in the final third. A high pressing system will ensure that the opponents don’t get lot of time on the ball, while the hard work and industry put in by the players will ensure that the game is played collectively.
Moreover, Mauricio loves using the width of the pitch, and that will turn out to be a blessing for the likes of Memphis Depay and Adnan Januzaj. The likes of Harry Kane, Delle Ali, Ward Prowse all have flourished under him, so he is extremely likely to carry on the tradition of United’s academy and we can expect to see more of Borthwick Jackson, Jesse Lingard or Will Keane under his tutelage.
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