In a brilliant new book called Brave New World by Guillem Balague, Mauricio Pochettino reveals how he turned Tottenham into one of the best teams in the Premier League — plus his superstar players and club chairman speak candidly about his revolution and ambition at White Hart Lane.
In September last year Tottenham lost their opening Champions League match at Wembley against Monaco with Pochettino extremely unhappy with the performance of the team and worried about the form of Harry Kane
Two days after the Monaco match, spirits have started to lift again ahead of our game against Sunderland. Today we divided the group into the guys who played and the ones who didn’t, and I did some tactics.
Mauricio Pochettino has revealed how he has helped mould Harry Kane’s Tottenham career
There was no need for a video debrief of what to improve on from the Monaco game: the message had already been conveyed in no uncertain terms. But I did hold a meeting with some of the players to explain what we had to do and how to lead from within.
At my press conference ahead of the Premier League fixture, I reiterated what I’d said before: that we had lacked passion. I also noted that it’s a young team and it’s our job to help them grow.
And suddenly more details of that tough conversation with Marcelo Bielsa [Pochettino’s former coach] right after he joined Espanyol, came flooding back to me.
‘How would you rate your performances last season?’ Marcelo asked me. That year I’d won an award for the best centre-back in the league. I said: ‘It wasn’t quite nine or 10 out of 10. I’d give myself a seven.’
‘Listen,’ he replied, looking me straight in the eyes. ‘I’ve watched all the games back and if I’d been the coach, you wouldn’t have played, because you’ve stopped doing lots of things that you used to. You’re not the player I used to know.’
The Argentinean describes his striker as a warrior, and is now a key man for Spurs and England
And, obviously, I reacted. I lost weight and trained harder. I was called up by the national team, signed for PSG and played in the World Cup.
Such is the power of words.
At lunchtime, I discovered that Harry Kane wanted to talk to me. I avoided him; my anger hadn’t fully passed yet. And when I’d finished eating, I decided to perform a little test. I got up and went to sit in an armchair by the balcony. Let’s see who comes over, I thought.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kane grab a piece of fruit from the buffet. He went back to his table. A short time later, he took his dirty plates over to the trays near the sofas. And then he sat down next to me. We ended up speaking until 3pm. I admitted to him that Bielsa had made me cry that day when he told me those home truths.
I know it was really tough for Kane at the start [when Pochettino arrived at Spurs in 2014]. We had to win over hearts, minds and bodies so that they would keep pressing and running up and down the pitch.
But I refused to entertain any doubts about this being the way forward. ‘If you do it, and continue doing it, and you’re tired at the end, don’t worry,’ I told Harry and the rest of the team. ‘I’ll introduce someone else to do your job, but you can’t leave anything in the tank.’
Now 24, Kane had to bide his time to get in the first team when Pochettino arrived in 2014
Before I arrived, his game was a bit more back to goal, holding it up. Whereas now, he is always on the front foot, always trying to press. And if we have the ball, he has freedom to move around, not just wait for the ball to get to him. He has to be alive every minute.
This is how we’ve turned the team with the worst defensive record in the top 10 into the best defence in the division. And without playing defensive football or making many personnel changes.
It is all about being brave. I love that word in English. We must display bravery at all times and, since mental preparation is crucial nowadays, we send daily messages to this effect in different formats and packaging.
I told the squad all that and then restated it differently by reminding them about when England played Spain in Alicante in November 2015. It was 0–0 at half-time, but 2–0 to Spain at the final whistle.
The England internationals returned home happy, reckoning they’d given a good account of themselves in the first half.
I told them: ‘Excuse me, but I disagree, because at no point did you seek to take the initiative or be brave. Truth be told, it was clear right from the warm-up that Spain were going to win. The only question was whether they’d score in the first minute or the 90th, but the match was a foregone conclusion. Football is all about attitude.’
Pochettino used the example of England losing to Spain to remind his players about bravery
Kane was a frustrated guy when I arrived. He struggled to visualise his future at the club, with two or three strikers ahead of him. He was constantly being shipped out on loan. It was doubly exasperating for him as a Tottenham fan.
The club then suddenly hired an Argentinian coach and I picked up on his sense of resignation: ‘I’m sure this guy will bring in some other big-name striker.’
It was a tough few months because we didn’t click initially. He was out of form and, at 21, had the habits of a player in his thirties, the type who has been around the block.
I had several stern conversations with Harry in which I had to make him understand that he had to get ready for whenever the opportunity might arise. Fame and a hefty transfer fee don’t pave the way to a starting berth, only hard work.
Harry was humble enough to listen and take advice. We put the tools in place for him to improve.
The moment finally arrived for him. He played and then played again. By seeing his progress the boys coming up through the ranks realised that we kept our word.
Kane is a warrior now. He already was, but he didn’t know he had it in him. I’m not speaking about qualities or traits, but that essential mental strength to be able to stay in the elite. I believe he is the best player in the world in terms of mental strength, willpower and endeavour.
He is completely focused on his football. He has a house in Essex but spends the week at another one he owns closer to the training ground. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Kane is now completely focused on football and owns another house closer to training
He likes to join in when someone with different experiences in football visits. He enjoys sitting down with us, soaking it all up and participating in the discussions. At those times it is as though for him nothing else in the world exists.
And, at 23, [when the diary was written, he is now 24] he is as enthusiastic as ever: he enjoys training, he prolongs his sessions and he studies elite players, past and present.
I WhatsApp him videos of goals or interesting pieces of play by other strikers. At all hours. The last one I sent was at 11pm.
Pochettino reveals how he would like to manage England one day, because he likes the ‘honest and aggressive’ mentality of English players.
If I were to be an international manager one day, I’d relish the opportunity to coach the England national team.
I’ve heard that I’ve been considered for the job before, but I don’t know if there was any truth in it.
Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he would love the chance to manage England one day
I’d be reunited with loads of familiar faces: Harry Kane, Danny Rose, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Adam Lallana.
Of the last 21 England debutants, 17 have played under me — there’s also the likes of Rickie Lambert, Jay Rodriguez, Calum Chambers, Nathaniel Clyne, Luke Shaw and Ryan Mason.
In the last four-and-a-half seasons, 11 regulars in the England squad made their international debuts under my stewardship. I remember [while at Southampton] once telling Adam Lallana how taken aback I was when I first witnessed the mentality of English players up-close — their enthusiasm in training, the sparks that fly in 50-50 challenges.
Pochettino told Adam Lallana how taken aback he was with England player’s mentality
Lallana himself was once so angry with a decision during a training match that he blew his top and swore at [coach] Miki D’Agostino, (who was serving as the referee, as he often does).
He subsequently apologised, but I thought to myself, ‘I want guys like that in my team.’
The English are brave, honest and aggressive, and the good ones want to add to their game.
In the 2-2 draw with Chelsea when we were battling for the title, Chelsea were playing for pride. I understand and value the fact that teams in England give their all in every single game.
It’s a positive. Behaviour in the dugout, however, is another matter. Something that drove Nicola Cortese [former Southampton chairman] up the wall was the fact that there were club coaches in the England Under 18s and Under 21s set-up. Chelsea have an assistant who also works for England. He should set an example, but he certainly did no such thing that day.
The way he looked at us as they piled on the pressure, or the way he came over to our bench to celebrate Chelsea’s goals was not right.
It was the complete opposite of what Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink was doing. Guus was a real gentleman, while still trying to beat us, despite the tension that arose that evening. When I saw that assistant soon after at our training ground, which the national team was using, I made my feelings very clear to him.
Pochettino praised the manner of Guus Hiddink during their 2-2 draw with Chelsea in 2016
Dele Alli speaks about the impact that Pochettino and his assistant Jesus Perez have had on his game and the day they told him that they didn’t like him.
When I signed for Spurs in 2015 I came to have a look around the training ground, but I think he [Pochettino] was in Spain. I didn’t see him till I came back for pre-season.
It was really hard and I didn’t know what he thought of me. The first proper one-on-one was with Jesus. They were speaking in Spanish and then Jesus said to me: ‘He didn’t like you…’ or similar. The boss was staring me in the eye to see how I reacted. I was speechless! He paused for like a second, and he said ‘…but now he loves you.’
The season before last, there was a bit in the media about me, when everyone was saying I was losing my temper.
Dele Alli was told Pochettino did not immediately take to him the first time they met
He pulled me into his office and talked about himself as a player, and showed me some clips of him on YouTube, very aggressive. He’s scored some goals as well, and told me I need to have a look at some so I can improve my finishing. He’s better than everyone!
In his chats, he insists we all have to want it, there are no excuses for being tired and stuff. He does push everyone all the time.
At Palace [in January 2016] I made it 2–1 in the last 10 minutes. I watched the goal back and saw that he had run all the way down the line and was involved in the hug. I had not realised.
The England midfielder did not know his manager had run down the side to celebrate at Palace
Do I upset him? Yeah, all the time. [Alli laughs]. A few weeks ago we were doing some shape work and I was a bit annoyed, not at him but just with some stuff. I was walking in and looking at the floor and he told me to lift my head up and smile.
Later, he pulled me into his office and talked to me about how if I’m not being happy and positive it can have an effect on everyone. I didn’t realise how much.
Harry Kane reveals how he was initially carrying too much fat to impress Pochettino and how he eventually won the manager over to become ‘the best in the world’.
That [first] pre-season [under Pochettino in 2014] I came back from holiday and I thought I was in OK shape. We had our body fat test done and I was the highest in the team, something like 18 per cent!
I didn’t really want to believe it. I was like, ‘Aargh! This is wrong!’ He had his own little drills, his own fitness test — it’s called the Gacons. It’s a run that gets progressively harder.
We did a lot of them in pre-season. A lot of tactical and shape work because obviously he wanted to instil his own philosophy. I learnt a lot in that short time. Certain movements, for instance.
Harry Kane was in the highest team for body fat percentage when Pochettino took charge
He was a defender himself so he knows what the striker should be doing to gain an edge. Sometimes we did one-on-ones with him, Miki D’Agostino, or Jesus Perez, [assistant coaches] training with the strikers.
Sometimes we were in a group, just movements around the box, or trying to get in behind. He wants to play that high intensity, he wants runners in behind… I knew straight away that if I wanted to play in his team then I would have to learn that quickly and adapt.
He likes to film everything, so if he thinks something isn’t right in training he will show me on the clips. As expected he was not afraid to give the younger players a chance. He wanted everyone on the same page. It is difficult to do what he’s done in such a short time.
I remember one early conversation. I was doing well in the Europa League, but I wasn’t getting into the Premier League team for one reason or another, and I remember getting quite frustrated. So I went to see him and he explained to me that I wasn’t doing enough.
He said that my body fat was high, I wasn’t trying as hard as I could, and that was it! Maybe other managers would try to beat around the bush and try to keep players happy but he was just straight up.
Since cutting out the fat, Kane has become one of the best strikers in the Premier League
He said, ‘You need to do this and this and that’s why you’re not in the squad.’ And it just hit me. This is what I’ve got to do. So I took that on board and I’ve been doing OK since.
He has told me ‘You can be the best striker in the world.’ We have a joke about it now and then and, of course, when I hear him say it in the media I know he’s just trying to give me confidence.
But, yeah, he’ll text me the next day to show me what he’s said publicly and then he’ll say, ‘But we need to work harder and we need to do more.’
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on how Pochettino can be their Alex Ferguson: and why the club won’t spend big money to earn success.
We haven’t really discussed the money that is available. It’s not a secret, it will eventually be between Mauricio and me. We wouldn’t go public on it.
Mauricio is very aware that firstly we have a huge capital project [Tottenham’s new stadium] that we’re embarking upon. For two seasons we have been competing for the title, but it’s unlikely that we can improve our starting XI without spending a huge sum of money and actually I don’t think that either I or Mauricio want to be in that model.
Daniel Levy insists he has spoken to Mauricio Pochettino who is aware money will be tight
It’s a huge responsibility. We’re a big club but it’s run as a proper club, we are self-sufficient. If we make a £60million investment in a player, that means somebody else is going to be affected in our starting XI and, if we make a mistake, it’s very costly. If you look at some stats, particularly for the 2016–17 season — the best defensive record, scored more goals than any other team, best goal difference in our history, youngest squad in the Premier League — you realise we can only aim to improve the squad overall.
I have always said to him that I want him to be a partner, that when he signed a contract for five years — which was a massive commitment for the club — it was on the basis that we were really going to commit to each other.
I want Mauricio to be the Sir Alex Ferguson of Tottenham Hotspur and he has the most fantastic opportunity to be that. I have confidence that he can do it. We’re so aligned in where we want to be.
I’d be surprised if there wasn’t interest in Mauricio from other clubs because it means we are doing well. He’s never given me any indication that he’d like to leave. He loves the project and he once sent me a picture of Bill Nicholson — our most famous manager from years ago — holding the fronts of the gates of the stadium. They are very historic gates and we’re keeping them at the new stadium. I replied, ‘One day it is going to be you,’ because that really is what I aspire to.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy wants Pochettino to be the club’s very own Sir Alex Ferguson
I would love nothing more than Mauricio still to be our manager in 10 to 15 years’ time. To really build success you need time, longevity. It’s easy to go and become a manager at Real Madrid, for instance. It’s a fantastic club, don’t get me wrong, but winning at Tottenham Hotspur is far greater than winning at Real Madrid — and he agrees.
Mauricio wants this sense of achievement, this recognition, to be the main guy. And at this club, he can be the main guy.
At some other clubs, the president is the main guy but that’s not how it is here. I’m so low key, I want him to be the main guy. Him. Sometimes it’s nice to be given something when you are not expecting it, like the Bentley I gave him as a sign of appreciation.