Preamble;
Christian Eriksen has been talking to Skysports about the Poch Cause and Effect; but before we delve into that, it`s worth taking a minute out to simply admire, applaud and congratulate one Christian Eriksen. His impact last night was out of the top drawer – great players step up for the occasion and even the famous luck of the Irish couldn`t stop him from bagging a stunning hattrick.
My Condolences if you’re Irish.
For those who didn`t watch it; He was imperious, he almost singly handed destroyed them. Three magnificently taken goals meant that I was grinning from ear to ear as the Irish were unceremoniously sent packing. If the Irish want a team to support in the World Cup, then they`d do well to look no further than Denmark and the remarkable Eriksen.
Now I just have to indulge a good memory; when I learned we had brought him I recall remarking here that I couldn`t believe we had managed to get him. For almost three years one Mr. Sherwood had been banging the drum for him and a small army of scouts and agents across Europe had been hot on his trail, I genuinely didn`t think we would have a hope of getting him.
When Ajax actually announced publicly that they had given us permission to speak to him, my heart sank, it was as good as starting a bidding war, one which in the end I`m reliably informed forced us to spend more than we first thought would get a deal over the line.Perhaps Christian was the only good we did with the Bale proceeds?
Eternally Grateful.
If for nothing else, and credit where credit is due I`m grateful to Tim for badgering anyone and everyone – not least of which was our Chairman – for getting him to Spurs.
I have not been disappointed, on occasion his form has dropped for short periods, but the one thing that marks out youth is it`s inconsistency. As always, the more impatience and critical among us have also at times (I thought) been incredibly harsh; more than once as the critics have piled in, I`ve responded by saying it`s temporary and he`ll come back and has the capacity to be even better. Last night will be a huge shot in the arm for him and he`ll now be relishing carrying that feeling and that form into our next battle against the Gooners.
Clearly, I am in man-love. He plays like I laughingly convince myself I once did (a fantasy of course, but who cares).
The last word on the preamble is a plea: (in my fantasy head, Poch or Christian will read this and act accordingly)?.
Please please stop taking corners, if I see one more not get past the first man I will call you unspeakable things and invade Denmark. There, I`ve warned you.
Back to Poch. Cause and effect:
For sometime now the debate about The Poch Effect has rumbled on and on and on.
To most of us Spurs supporting maniacs, and judging by the tone and complimentary nature of the overwhelming majority of the opinions expressed here and elsewhere – his positive impact is as plain as the nose on your face. But to an increasingly smaller minority it is about as clear as ditchwater, which is pretty apt as their pool keeps shrinking and sooner or later they`ll have gone the way of the Dodo. The modus operandi of the critics isn`t subtle and often displays all the repetitive behavior of my Goldfish. Reading some of the more asinine comments that get regurgitated whenever an opportunity for a cheap shot arises (and it always will, that`s the nature of competitive results) is also about just as insightful as one of the moles in my garden that I regularly blow up. It`s good sport in the beginning but in the end starts boring the hell out of you.
Eric the Pocket sized Destroyer.
Eric the Danish Destroyer has been making his thoughts on Poch`s transformative impact known to Skysports, and for all the flat Earthers and change deniers it`s not good news – the metamorphism has happened.
The Palpable Change.
We`ve gone from a wannabe club and always looking what and who was above us, to who now stands beside and below us. Yes, of course we`ve got to have a capping out ceremony just as we have with the new stadium, and I know no one will be fully sated until the Silver stuff starts showing up.
But (to coin a phrase) is that this may not be the beginning of the end run, but we are now at the end of a new beginning.
Argue against it if you want, but the stacking evidence is against you – player after player has extolled Pochs’ virtues and his improvement methodology, including his black box thinking and approach to incremental improvement, from fifth place to third to second, our Premier league finishing position has improved every season in the Premier League since Poch took over. Of course, this season could well be a different matter (more of that another time).
So what exactly has the slayer of the Irish and Tottenham Star had to say?
‘A lot has happened in the last few years,’ a lot of things have changed,’
But what you might wonder?
‘Everything, really, both on and off the pitch. Everything has been put into what we all wanted at Spurs. Everybody wanted to become a top team and that is what we have tried to do. I think we are getting closer than ever before.’
Skysports highlight the fact that since August 2013 only one player, M.Ozil – has created just 15 more chances than his 361., and that`s more than Hazard or Silva. But it`s not just the creativity he brings, ever since he came to the Prem he has been one of the top players when it comes both to distant covered and intensive sprints made. That shows a work ethic that not everyone recognises when they look at the impact he has.
Erik goes further about what Poch has done for everyone;
‘He has given stability not only to me but to the whole club,’ That’s the main thing for a player. You feel comfortable, you feel aware of everything around you and you don’t think about anything other than football when you’re on the pitch. All the players have long-term contracts. They feel safe being here. It’s why you commit your future to a place like this.’
‘He gives his players a lot of confidence and he trusts to let them play,’ he says. ‘I have played a lot of games under the manager now. He knows what I’m good for and what I’m not good for but he trusts me completely. You feel that trust and it makes you want to do everything for him.We are young lads who want to develop and be even better in the future and play as many games as possible,’
But he`s not complacent; ‘Of course there is competition for places but it’s different to other clubs where you have very experienced players coming in. It’s a good young group and we all want the same thing.’
Does he feel even the tiny bit jealous of others?
‘I don’t mind who takes the spotlight,’ he says. ‘If you win the game, then it doesn’t really matter. Of course it’s nice to get recognition, but I’m not looking for it. I just do my thing. If it comes, it comes. But it’s not what you play for. I just want to be as involved as possible on the pitch.’
Why?..
‘That’s the player I am,’ he says. ‘I’m the player who wants to create something and to help get the team out of trouble with the ball in certain situations. I’m capable of doing it and I trust I can do it. I think my team-mates know that if they play me the ball, they will get it back in the right way, with the right timing and with the right pace. It’s about feeling the connection.’
It was at Ajax that Eriksen developed his game;
‘In my first year at Ajax we had some sessions with Dennis Bergkamp and Wim Jonk,’ he states; ‘We did this passing drill with a striker from the team. We worked on certain movements, learning how to measure his runs and then passing the ball to exactly the right place at exactly the right moment. Even then, you could always see Dennis’s charisma and confidence on the ball. He always knew how to take his first touch and where the ball needed to end up afterwards. I learned a lot from watching him and working with him. It helped me when I made it through to the first team.’
This learning curve has helped him at Spurs too when it comes to playing with Kane – ‘He’s the perfect striker, I think, he scores goals, he helps the team, he can hold the ball, he can use his head. He can do a bit of everything. We have a good connection. Harry knows where to run and I know how to find him, so it’s a good mix.’
The hard yards:
‘Our pre-season is always very, very tough,of course nobody likes to run just for fun, but it means everyone is in very good shape throughout the season. It’s something you gain from playing games but it’s also from training at a higher level. We do that and it helps.’
On Pochs`demand for continuous improvement:
‘Our target every season is to improve on whatever we have done in the previous season,’ he says. ‘We want to do what we did last year – just a little bit better. After that we’ll see where we end up.’
All we can do as Spurs fans is show the appreciation we have for having such a special talent playing for us and a player that perfectly fits in with Pochs` improvement and playing Philosophy., of course the naysayers and the critics will still keep coming and I suspect they`ll still be around until we start winning stuff, if not winning everything – and just like my moles everytime I think I`ve finally done for them, one then more will pop their heads up at every opportunity they get..
And I’ll still be blasting away…
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