Hull vs Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino struggles to change culture at Spurs

As bad as the beginning to the Mauricio Pochettino era has been at Tottenham Hotspur, there is one stat that makes it all the more stark.

It is not that this is the club’s worst start since 2008-09, when Juande Ramos was sacked, or that they have won only two of their last nine games. It is that Pochettino was doing a much better job at Southampton during the same amount of time. At that stage, after 11 games in early 2013, the Argentine had 16 points. Now, he has 14.

That is more telling than just the basic comparison. You also have to compare the clubs. One was a side still in danger of relegation. The other is one hoping to build towards a top-four challenge. Despite that, Pochettino’s Southampton just looked so much more convincing.

It indicates that, as Spurs head to Hull, all of their recent struggles might be down to something deeper than just the manager needing time to impose his pressing game. If a coach like Pochettino could immediately do so well with a poorer level of player, why is he struggling at a higher standard?

Many of the fans have been pointing the finger at chairman Daniel Levy, and the effect his control has had on the quality of the squad. One of the few bright spots of the season, Harry Kane, is attempting to foster a spirit of unity and thinks it is just a matter of time. “It is no-one’s fault, were in it together,” Kane says. “That’s what people have to realise. He has come in with his style and it has only been four months. That’s not a long time when you are changing the way you want to play. We are getting used to it and we will only get better. Everyone has taken to this manager well and are focused on what he wants us to do. We’ll see what happens.”

One thing that may have to happen is an overhaul of the team, because the feelings aren’t completely mutual: the manager hasn’t taken to everyone in the squad. It is also here where questions can be asked of Levy, and where the real contrasts with Southampton are revealed.

Pochettino found a young squad at St Mary’s, hungry to take on everything he had. At Tottenham, sources state that a sizeable group of players have become almost conditioned against the idea of radical change because they are so used to the high turnover of managers.

The gaps were reflected in the defeat to Newcastle United, as Alan Pardew’s side easily widened the holes in the conspicuously flat Tottenham defence to win 2-1. Pochettino is mindful of the need for players who are ready to really buy into his management, and is said to have been struck by the lack of leadership in the squad. He has also suffered from a lack of recruitment.

Of six players signed for £22m in the summer, three were 21 or younger, and only one has played more than two games. That’s defender Erik Dier, with nine appearances. It is hardly the strongest foundation on which to build a new era. Change can’t come quick enough for Pochettino – starting at Hull.

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Pochettino’s points totals from his first 11 League games:

Southampton

Spurs