Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino appear destined to reunite in the summer, and if that happens, it could be a dream scenario for the manager.
A lot has been made of Tottenham’s struggles this season under Thomas Frank prior to his sacking, with a lot of the blame attributed to the fact that he doesn’t have a strong enough squad and enough depth to compete.
Obviously, there are a lot of top-quality players at Spurs, but injuries have really impacted the Lilywhites this season. Still, there’s no excuse for the way things have gone, and Mauricio Pochettino appears to be the answer.
Given Pochettino’s special connection to Tottenham, we’re sure he wouldn’t mind coming back and fixing everything, either. If and when that happens, he might find he has less to resolve than he first suspected.
Mauricio Pochettino’s preferred system fits Tottenham perfectly
If you can cast your memory back a few years, you’ll remember the way Pochettino set up his Tottenham team. In fact, you’ve probably been dreaming about that for the past few months.
Pochettino used to primarily use a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a general line-up consisting of Hugo Lloris in goal, that brilliant back four, including Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, and midfielders like Eric Dier and Moussa Dembele playing key roles in supporting the transition between defence and attack.
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Then, of course, there was that famous DESK alliance across the front four, with Dele, Christian Eriksen, Heung-min Son, and Harry Kane being one of the most formidable attacking rosters in world football.
I’m not about to say that the current Tottenham squad has anywhere near the same level of quality, but the way the best players at Spurs right now would fit into Pochettino’s system is almost uncanny.
Assuming Spurs can keep hold of all their star players in the summer, you can very easily see this line-up working for Pochettino: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Bergvall; Kulusevski, Maddison, Kudus; Solanke.
Archie Gray would be excellent at dropping back into the defensive line when we’re off the ball (similar to the old Dier midfield role), while Bergvall is very much a midfielder in the same driving mould as Dembele, in that he can keep hold of the ball, use his athleticism and ball-carrying skills to progress the team up the pitch.
If only Tottenham could keep the likes of Maddison and Kulusevski fit, they’d have incredible playmakers that we haven’t really seen at the club since Eriksen and Dele’s peak years.
With the squad feeling ready-made for Pochettino, and the fact that Pochettino also believes he’s a better manager than ever, it’s a very exciting possibility to have the former boss back in the dugout.
Luka Vuskovic could also benefit from Pochettino
Spurs fans have been very excited about the return of someone else aside from Pochettino: Luka Vuskovic. The young Croatian defender has excelled on loan in Germany this season, and we can’t wait to see him turn out for Tottenham.
Vuskovic has developed quicker than anyone expected, and he looks set for a big chance to show what he can do at Spurs next term.
You might be thinking that Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven would be standing in his way, but Vuskovic could benefit from an alternative formation Pochettino has used from time to time.
The Argentinian sometimes played with a back three, which would be the ideal opportunity to allow Vuskovic in between the two more experienced centre-halves.