Over the past 18 months, Mauricio Pochettino has presided over one of the most dramatic transformations Tottenham Hotspur has seen over recent years, which is saying something for a club which is more up and down than a day out at Thorpe Park. This can unarguably be attributed to the Argentine’s managerial talents, and in particular his ability to mold and transform players to his liking, which is clearly evident within the club’s current squad.
The most obvious case of this, has to be Harry Kane. The 22 year-old had somewhat begun to establish himself towards the end of Tim Sherwood’s reign but was still largely seen as a comedy figure inside White-Hart Lane. A bumbling, clumsy, unglamorous youth team graduate; many would have predicted a career in the Football League for Kane.
However, Pochettino has helped to transform the budding striker into one of the most exciting and productive players in the English game. So much so, that Kane is the Premier League’s top scorer in 2015 with 24 goals, 5 ahead of his nearest rival. This has proved to be an invaluable asset to Spurs, as a striker of Kane’s quality is something the side have lacked since the departure of Dimitar Berbatov in 2008.
It must be stated though that Kane is not the only player the Argentine has helped to transform. Danny Rose improved immeasurably over the 2014/15 season, to such a point where many fans considered the left-back, one of the team’s players of the season. This would have been unthinkable the previous year when the former Leeds academy player was much lamented and footed with the blame for many a goal. Yet Rose has blossomed into one of the side’s most consistent performers and is now an invaluable member of the team.
Kane and Rose were two of Pochettino’s greatest feats of the 2014/15 season, but his vast improvement of players has continued well into the present campaign. This is most stark with the mobilisation of Eric Dier from centre-back to holding midfielder, the success of which, no right minded fan could have predicted. The Portuguese-raised Englishman has slotted into the role with consummate ease, providing the necessary protection for the defence while maintaining the intensity and technique that the manager’s system requires.
In addition to this, Mousa Dembele seems invigorated under the Spurs manager and is starting to fulfil the potential he has always promised. The Belgium midfielder has always been blessed with the attributes to become a top-level Premier League player; glue-like control, immense upper body strength and a lethal left foot. Yet he has always seemed to be limited by mental factors; a lack of ambition or self-belief perhaps. However, this no longer appears to be the case with the former Fulham player scoring three in three just weeks ago and since going on to deliver consistently superb performances, contributing immeasurably to the side’s success.
It seems that finally after over a decade of searching, Daniel Levy has finally found the manager that can lead the club to success without the need for excessive spending which can be nothing but good news for Spurs fans. The only issue that remains is the risk of Tottenham’s manager being poached away from them which only becomes more likely as the success continues. However, should Spurs keep their young manager, it can only spell the start of a period of great promise, one which the club’s fan base should be incredibly excited about.
