The Pressing Revolution: Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur

Monthly Recap: December, 2016


We picked up where we left off in November and went on a run of 5 Premier League wins in a row before we lost to Sunderland. We also qualified to the Round of 16 in the Champions League after beating Napoli 2-0 and Bayern beating Celtic 3-0! The only blip on the month was the Sunderland loss, which was really unlucky. We had 4 clear cut chances that we couldn't finish, and Defoe scored against his former club in the one chance that they had. It was unfortunate, but not demoralizing, as we responded with a resounding 5-0 win over the lowly Swansea City. And now, the best part, look at where we are sitting in the league:

Premier League Table

First Place on goal differential!! And Sunderland are also performing surprisingly well. They are nipping at our heels. Maybe, with a couple of key additions, we can stay atop the table.

Champions League Table


After almost blowing our qualifying chances, we finished 2nd in the group. A good feat for the group, but now we have to push on. Looking at the results from the other groups, I'm hoping that we get drawn against Dinamo Kyiv.

Player of the Month
Dele Alli again gets the player of the month award. He finished 2nd in the voting for player of the month and young player of the month, averaging a 7.47 rating in his matches, while also scoring 2 and assisting 2. Honorable mention to Mousa Dembele for finishing in 2nd in the goal of the month voting.

Note from dshaw292: Expect lots of updates coming in, as the transfer window is beginning.

Transfer Central
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Welcome to Tottenham's transfer center. It's New Year's Day, 2017 is upon us, and transfer rumors are flying around. Let's take a look at some of the biggest headlines surrounding Spurs and their players.

Erik Lamela to PSG for 16 million?
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It is reported that Lamela's lack of playing time at Spurs this season has intrigued a couple of clubs. Leading the pack is PSG, who are reportedly going to make a 16 million pound bid for Lamela's services. Pochettino has refused to play Lamela so far, but Lamela hasn't been banished to the reserves and has been training with the senior team throughout. While he may be on his way out, I doubt that Spurs will accept a deal for 16 million pounds.

Rabiot, Vardy, and Lemina to Tottenham?
Rumors in the press have been linking Tottenham to a triple swoop this transfer window, adding Mario Lemina and Adrien Rabiot to the midfield and adding Jamie Vardy as competition for Harry Kane up top. Mauricio Pochettino loves giving chances to young, domestic players, so these moves seem a little unlikely. However, Pochettino said he will go into the market for the "right player".

Cup Draws
FA Cup 3rd Round

Brentford vs. Cardiff
Mansfield vs. Blackburn
Bradford City vs. Sheffield Wednesday
MK Dons vs. Luton Town
Scunthorpe vs. Manchester United
Burton vs. Sheffield United
Wrexham vs. Sunderland
Liverpool vs. Rotherham
Nottingham Forest vs. Charlton
Middlesbrough vs. QPR
Birmingham vs. Bristol City
Watford vs. Reading
Rochdale vs. Bury
Arsenal vs. Manchester City
Peterborough vs. Bournemouth
Coventry City vs. Everton
Stevenage vs. Northampton
Tottenham vs. Wycombe
Hull vs. Burnley
Brighton vs. Preston North End
West Brom vs. Chesterfield
Carlisle vs. Norwich
Huddersfield vs. Fulham
Aston Villa vs. Newcastle
AFC Wimbledon vs. Barnsley
Porstmouth vs. West Ham
Ipswich vs. Derby
Stoke vs. Wolverhampton
Wigan vs. Cheltenham
Crystal Palace vs. Leicester
Leeds vs. Swansea
Chelsea vs. Southampton

Reaction: Very easy draw for us. Home against Wycombe, we should be able to rotate and advance without any trouble. The match of the round is obviously Arsenal vs. Manchester City. Also lookout for the other all Premier League matches, such as Crystal Palace vs. Leicester, Chelsea vs. Southampton, and Hull vs. Burnley.

Champions League Round of 16


Arsenal vs. Porto
CSKA Moscow vs. Real Madrid
Juventus vs. Dynamo Kyiv
Benfica vs. Borussia Dortmund
PSG vs. Bayern Munich
Manchester City vs. Sevilla
Leicester vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Tottenham vs. Atletico Madrid

Reaction: I think the tie of the round is PSG vs. Bayern Munich, with our match being a close second. It'll be a tough match. Hopefully, we can secure a home win and hold out for a draw. This will be a tightly contested two legs.

Transfer News: January 8, 2017
Some things have been brewing behind the scenes that I will update you all on.

-Spurs reject a 2.6 million pound bid from Watford for Tom Carroll
-Spurs have launched a 35 million pound bid for Felipe Anderson from Lazio
-Erik Lamela has been targeted by many clubs, including Liverpool and PSG, but apparently he is going to be sold to Southampton imminently.
-Georges-Kevin Nkoudou has been a target of Burnley, but it is too soon to say that they will strike a deal.
-FC Barcelona had made a 20 million pound approach for Jan Vertonghen, which was rejected.
-Manchester City came in with a 1 million pound bid for Michel Vorm, which was rejected by Tottenham.
-Tottenham and Manchester City engaged in a bidding war for Bayern Munich left back Juan Bernat, but Tottenham pulled out after bids reached 50 million pounds after add-ons. Bernat is now a City player.

No successes in the transfer market so far, but Pochettino has a plan outlined that he wants to complete.

Transfer Roundup

After speculation over a number of players, I'd like to announce what has happened over the past month, starting with:

Mauricio Pochettino
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I am delighted to announce that I have signed a new contract through 2020! I am so happy at the club, and am excited to take on this big project. I am glad that Mr. Levy has put faith in me and my staff.

Jan Vertonghen
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After speculation over a move to Barcelona, I am pleased to announce that Jan Vertonghen has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club through 2019. Jan is an important player here, and we need him around if we want to win some trophies in the near future.

Sold
Erik Lamela
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Erik Lamela has been sold to Southampton for 20 million pounds. Erik needed first team football and he just did not fit into my plans. We wish him the very best in the future.

Georges-Kevin Nkoudou
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Georges-Kevin Nkoudou has been sold back to the French league, joining AS Saint-Etienne for 4 million pounds. He needed first team football but he didn't fit into my plans. We wish him the very best in the future.

Bought
Felipe Anderson
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We are delighted to announce that we have signed Felipe Anderson from Lazio through 2021! He will end up costing us 35 million pounds after add ons, but we are confident that he will perform well for us. He is the kind of player that we needed, as we only had Son Heung-Min and Moussa Sissoko as adequate players on the wing. The 23 year old has tremendous potential and we cannot wait for him to play.

Ruben Duarte
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We are delighted to announce that we have signed Ruben Duarte from Espanyol through 2021. He will end up costing us 30 million pounds after add ons, and while some people claim that that fee is way to high for a player of his calibre, the potential in Duarte was just too great. We see him as a star Left Wing Back for our club now and in the future. The 21 year old will be thrown right into the mix with Ben Davies and Danny Rose and we are excited to see him produce.

Monthly Recap: January, 2017


Our January was spectacular. Apart from a 1-0 hiccup against West Ham, we thoroughly dominated our matches. As you can see, we beat Wycombe in the third round of the FA Cup and moved on to beat Bournemouth later that month in the 4th round. Our run in the Premier League has also been outstanding and it has left us in 2nd place, 2 points behind Manchester City in our race for the title.

Premier League Table


Unfortunately, Sunderland lost its momentum, but both them and Leicester are ahead of Chelsea, which is always a nice surprise. The relegation battle hasn't heated up yet, as Swansea (in 18th) are still 5 points back from safety. The top five, however, are in a clutter, and the race should get interesting as the season progresses.

Honorable Mention: Mauricio Pochettino finished 3rd in the manager of the month voting, while Dele Alli finished 3rd in the young player of the month voting.

Note from dshaw292: I will no longer be doing player of the month updates, but will tell you if my players receive an award for the month.