Former Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel has revealed that Mauricio Pochettino’s ruthless nature led to “turbulent times” behind the scenes at the club.
The Argentine boss has been in charge of the north London outfit for five years now, establishing the club as a top four regular in the Premier League as well as improving their record on the European stage, with a Champions League final versus Liverpool to overcome.
While things seem positive now, Friedel, who was at the club when Pochettino joined, revealed his no nonsense attitude resulted in a lot of players moving on and unrest among the dressing room.
He told beIN Sports: “If you don’t put it (the work) in, he will discard you. Nothing on a personal level, there were players that really liked him as a man but they could not adapt to the work he was forcing them to do or required of them, not forcing them to do.
“There was a lot of turnover. If you look back at the players who left Tottenham over the first 18, maybe 24 months of his reign, there were some turbulent times in that dressing room.”
"If you don't put it in he will discard you"
Friedel on the ruthless streak Pochettino showed when clearing out Tottenham's deadwood. #beINUCL #TOTLIV #UCLFinal pic.twitter.com/uSvy1UeXwn
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) May 31, 2019
Opinion
Pochettino seems to have got a firm grip on the players at his disposal now, with everyone pulling in the same direction, but it appears that might not have been the case when he first joined Tottenham. His methods, which are taken from the Marcelo Bielsa school of football management – another coach known for his high demands of players – seem to have weeded out those unable to live up to his expectations and he now has a team full of willing players. The problem Pochettino now has is trying to integrate new recruits into that squad, with no knowing what sort of impact they will have on the balance of the side. That is the risk that managers take when signing new players but Pochettino does not seem to have done a bad job of vetting his prospective new stars and making sure they are suitable to play for Tottenham. Having the quality is one thing, but being able to apply yourself is what separates the good from the great.