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Great article. Lucas Moura is a huge Mauricio Pochettino hater I imagine. LOL. Hat-trick in your face, coach!

Really comprehensive in going over Pochettino & his coaching style/tactics. I find them to simply be standard quality soccer, and it basically sounds like Barcelona back when they were good: keep the ball & win it back quickly when lost, but the quick transition element is different.

It’s amazing what you can do with just a 4-2-3-1. Many teams now won’t use a real 6, 8, & 10 lined-up correctly in the 4-2-3-1. Barcelona was fine with their flexible 4-3-3 because of the players. So many teams just use the 4-3-3 now which I think puts the 8 & 10 in ambiguous positions. I like the structure of the 4-2-3-1.

Some of our fans (read Tactical Manager & 11 Yanks) seem to think outside backs aren’t always supposed to provide the width & attack when their team has the ball which is very odd. This is standard soccer that Brazil, Argentina, France, Italy, Portugal, & everyone play.

I find that our fans don’t understand what a double-pivot means. One time I encountered someone who thought it was when you used two 8’s instead of a 6 & an 8, when really it’s any combination of 6’s & 8’s you want with the 6 & 8 being standard.

It’s almost like Pochettino gets too much credit for deploying basic solid soccer tactics like Ancelotti does.

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“Application to the USMNT: Pochettino will likely focus on improving the tactical understanding and technical skills of his younger players. He might work closely with players like Yunus Musah, and Ricardo Pepi, and well… pretty much the whole team! His emphasis on physical conditioning, mental resilience, and tactical discipline will be instrumental in preparing these young stars for the rigors of international tournaments.”

With a lot of players playing in top leagues do you still think they lack tactical understanding? Very interesting take and I wonder if you can expand this thought for someone still learning the nuances of tactical setups

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It kind of comes down to what being a great coach in any sport or expertise is able to do - make something inherently complicated easy to understand. International soccer should not be as 'complicated' as club football because you don't get the time or training together, so the other challenge is balance how to build an effective tactic with how much you believe you can instill it in your squad. When I speak about tactical discipline here, I'm speaking more about the disciple part.

Even with players in top leagues, tactical understanding can vary greatly. It's not just about playing at a high level but about how well they can adapt to different systems, read the game, and make decisions under pressure. Pochettino would likely focus on sharpening these aspects, especially for younger players who might still be honing that in-game IQ. It's like having all the ingredients for a recipe but needing the right chef to bring out the best flavors. Does that make sense?

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Tab Ramos was just interviewed by the Antichrist, and he said he didn’t listen to anything his coaches told him and did the bare minimum of their instructions to stay in the XI. You’re really only supposed to move into open space or check towards the ball to give your teammate a passing option, and you’re also supposed to cover for a teammate on defense if they’re beaten. The new coaches really like to force people to follow their instructions closely which is why both Ronaldo & Ronaldinho came out and said they don’t watch soccer anymore because it’s too boring now. They’re talking about people like Pochettino ruining it.

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Nice overview. I would add that Poch is also taking this job because he has eyes on a future Argentina job, and the one thing missing from his resume with regards to Argentina is international managing experience. If he can take the US to the semis, then he would be a favored successor to Scaloni. Whenever that is...

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You have no evidence of that.

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