A serious look at Mauricio Pochettino

[Fortitude]

Aye, a lot of this strikes me as quite reactionary. And it tends to be the way Pochettino's regarded. When they're in form and we're performing poorly he's a must-have, someone we should go all out to get. But when we perform well and they hit a bad patch (as all teams do) suddenly that's flipped on his head and he's suddenly a limited manager in spite of the job he's done at Spurs.

For what it's worth I am leaning more and more towards Ole being given the job, but anyone writing off Spurs on the basis of a patchy spell of form that hasn't even bad that bad is being a bit silly. He's doing a superb job by virtue of even being at the same level as clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and us considering the resources he's got. Cup competitions ultimately always factor in a lot of luck and can be hard to win - thus far Klopp's won less at Liverpool than Dalglish did in his second spell, but no one would argue Klopp's been worse for Liverpool than Dalglish because he managed to win a League Cup final against Cardiff in a year where they were dreadful domestically. Similarly Juande Ramos is Spurs' most successful manager on paper in the past 15 years or so, but he was also arguably their worst.

I don't think anyone is writing off Spurs? More that they are just, well, Spurs, and aren't going anywhere in particular - inert at a time when they have their best xi since the 80's and so many of the top clubs in England are going through a rocky patch - and it very much looks like the possibility is that they dwindle away rather than take any motions onward or upward from here.

Most of the caf seem to think Kane is the best striker in the world. Eriksen is rated as one of the top midfielders in the country; only City would turn their nose up at Son; Alli is highly rated, too and they have one of the best actual defensive units in the league and, ironically, the amount of time they've been together as a team with no reinforcement, gives them a level of synergy and understanding that only Klopp and Guardiola, by virtue of being given time to build their teams how they want, can match. A superb job it was, initially, but with the state of the other clubs, Spurs in third is right where they should be. Winning the league ism't likely without investment, but I don't think that's been held against Poch by many except in Leicester's campaign (the same time Wenger got slaughtered for the same thing) and whilst the downturn remains in place for Arsenal and even a resurgent United, top 4 qualification is seen as a given for Spurs.

His record in away games against top 6 opposition is being scrutinised more with each passing season; the way they go out of domestic cups, too - even if they're not going to field their best xi - it's not a surprise when they fold, which begs the question of can they only perform with their very best xi out there?

Spurs and Pochettino are both against the clock for differing reasons - is their crowning glory going to be fighting for 3rd, whilst other big clubs are discombobulated and having some of the most coveted players in the league at their disposal? Or should we be asking what happens from here or before Chelsea and United get their act together or Spurs start selling their star turns or(!) are beaten by father time as that backline becomes aged and fragile?

 

[charlenefan]

For Spurs right now Top 4 is more important than the FA Cup and with their injuries he had to wrap Eriksen in cotton wool and maximise their chances of 3 points Wednesday evening. Palace away is a tough game even with your strongest side let alone a depleted one. I think Poch should be given some slack tbh

 

[Kush]

The number of changes basically meant making a statement to the board, his squad is stretched thin with the injuries and he's got little to no quality. No different to Mourinho playing McTominay as CB to prove his point, he's every right to be annoyed with Daniel Levy.

He's making a fool out of him and Spurs fans. I'm skeptical about them playing a single game in their new stadium anytime this season.

 

[GM K]

Right now, I can't figure out why anyone will take Poch over Ole.

Ole is passing his audition in flying colours.

 

[charlenefan]

Right now, I can't figure out why anyone will take Poch over Ole.

Ole is passing his audition in flying colours.

No one in their mind would compare what one manager has done in 8 games over what another has done over 4/5 years

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

So the FA Cup was their most realistic chance of winning, and they leave their best player. Erikson out if the squad. That's poor management.

Rotation is fine, just as long as you win. His selection today really backfired. He's NOT the only PL manager to get it wrong.

 

[el3mel]

It's not really a simple thing, I think the problem is that people would prefer a simplistic answer to why Pochettino hasn't won a trophy at Spurs. It's very easy to just say it's down to 'bottling' and that's all, no need for any genuine analysis of his situation at Spurs or the constraints he's under, because he's a bottler right? I don't think a discussion should need to be heated and Pochettino's work at Tottenham isn't something that can be summarised in a couple of lines, imo.

We've had 2 CL exits, one where we were just terrible in the group stages and clearly weren't ready yet, and another where we went out to one of Europe's best teams. Sure we led the tie, but Juventus have serious quality and an ability to do what they did to any team, they did it to Madrid in the second leg. We actually went 2-0 down and were sunk early, but fought back and got the lead, Juventus were just incredibly clinical and showed why they're considered an elite side, that's all. This season we were written off from making it to the CL knockouts but hey, we fought back and got there .. still bottlers right? We led United 1-0 in the cup and lost 2-1, but the year before Chelsea were the only side to take the lead, so where are all these exits where we've been clearly on top? We won the first leg vs Chelsea this season but had our spine torn out for the second leg, so hardly a surprise.

This is just the narrative you're running with. People don't say shit when we come good in pressure situations because it doesn't suit their agenda. In the CL we needed 6 points out of 6 from Inter and PSV and grabbed two late wins, then fought back to earn a point at the Nou Camp. The season before top 4 was under serious threat and we won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge for the first time in forever. We've had plenty of situations where the pressure has been on and we've come through, but nobody cares about these, just the couple of times we've lost when idiots talk about us contending for the title.

Look, you can put it down to our mentality or whatever, that's your choice. I just think that's a really lazy analysis that leaves no room whatsoever for discussion and is nothing more than a dull cliche. In my view, it's far more fruitful to look at what clubs have won league titles and cups, and how they've won it (by spending shit tons of money) and looking at what is missing at Spurs which has prevented us from taking that next step. My view is that Pochettino has seriously overachieved with us, done what nobody would have predicted when he took charge, and yet is getting criticised for not achieving miracles.

You're not replaying on the point I made. The fact you're mentioning the CL group this season proves my point not denying it. You can't get it. Again, my point is Spurs only perform when no one is expecting anything from them, while tend to lose or perform badly when they're contenders for something. Everyone considered them out of CL group this season, the expectation was pretty low and pressure was eased so they went and won. That's the problem with this Spurs side. They only perform when there's no expectation from them. Once they put themselves in favorable position and media put them as contenders, they bottle it and bottle it hard. This is a problem for their manager not being able to handle pressure or teach his players how to handle it.

It's not about winning trophies as well, it's just being able to handle high expectations and massive pressure from the media of treating them as favorable to pass/win. Poch failed miserably at this. You can't have your team only playing well and winning when no one is expecting things from you.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

No one in their mind would compare what one manager has done in 8 games over what another has done over 4/5 years

That's not the comparison though is it. It's not as if OGS has never managed prior to Utd.

It's still too early, there's no need to make a decision until nearer the end of the season.

 

[Canagel]

I am happy with 8/8, but I still have a feling that we will come apart when we face tough opposition.

There's no easy matches. Particularly when it's the fodder of the league we've failed to beat consistently for the last 5 years.

 

[charlenefan]

That's not the comparison though is it. It's not as if OGS has never managed prior to Utd.

It's still too early, there's no need to make a decision until nearer the end of the season.

I would say if you're pro Ole you'd probably want people to forget his management prior to United (in the PL anyway)

 

[crossy1686]

People are far too quick to forget about how well he did at Southampton bringing through youngsters and how well he’s done at spurs with a net spend that’s lower than the likes of Bournemouth ffs. The team he was able to field today was shocking, guess why? Spurs have no squad depth thanks to their lack of investment. He’s still the best gettable candidate for the United job, some on here have a very short memory span it seems.

Yet people seem completely content to talk down Solskjaer because of Cardiff.

Pochettino loses the second there's an expectation to win. He's not handling the increased scrutiny that goes with being linked to the United job, giving him the keys would be a disaster.

 

[K2K]

He's taken Spurs as far as he can and should leave.

Not even necessarily for us either.

 

[SquishyMcSquish]

Most of the caf seem to think Kane is the best striker in the world. Eriksen is rated as one of the top midfielders in the country; only City would turn their nose up at Son; Alli is highly rated, too and they have one of the best actual defensive units in the league and, ironically, the amount of time they've been together as a team with no reinforcement, gives them a level of synergy and understanding that only Klopp and Guardiola, by virtue of being given time to build their teams how they want, can match. A superb job it was, initially, but with the state of the other clubs, Spurs in third is right where they should be. Winning the league ism't likely without investment, but I don't think that's been held against Poch by many except in Leicester's campaign (the same time Wenger got slaughtered for the same thing) and whilst the downturn remains in place for Arsenal and even a resurgent United, top 4 qualification is seen as a given for Spurs.

We have average at best fullbacks, a keeper who is starting to look extremely suspect and a central midfield partnership which Everton can probably beat on paper. We have two very good central defenders but Jan is starting to show his age and has had injury issues recently, and Toby was out for most of last season. We also have very poor depth and have turned to youth at numerous points in the season, and probably will in the future, to an extent no other club challenging for top four has to.

What we do have are some very, very good attacking players, but that isn't enough. Our squad is overrated and needs serious investment. It was at its best when we finished 2nd behind Chelsea and had Walker/Rose at their best, with a proper midfield in Dembele & Wanyama. We looked fantastic in the league that season, but alas Chelsea were incredibly consistent and deserved winners. Since then we simply haven't pushed on as a team, and IMO Pochettino has done a fantastic job keeping the squad motivated and consistent.

 

[K2K]

Yet people seem completely content to talk down Solskjaer because of Cardiff.

Pochettino loses the second there's an expectation to win. He's not handling the increased scrutiny that goes with being linked to the United job, giving him the keys would be a disaster.

This is my worry with him.

No one expects much from him at Spurs. Spurs fans generally don't expect to win much and can see the progress they have made given the relative constraints they have. The demands at United would be so much more.

 

[crossy1686]

So the FA Cup was their most realistic chance of winning, and they leave their best player. Erikson out if the squad. That's poor management.

Rotation is fine, just as long as you win. His selection today really backfired. He's NOT the only PL manager to get it wrong.

You sound surprised by this? Would you want him making those mistakes at United?

 

[Cassidy]

I would say if you're pro Ole you'd probably want people to forget his management prior to United (in the PL anyway)

Which is a very small percentage in his career. He actually has a pretty good record otherwise (decent europa league performances too). Still not to the level of Poch of course given the level of competition.

 

[GM K]

No one in their mind would compare what one manager has done in 8 games over what another has done over 4/5 years

I get that. Solid point. But there's just a synch with Ole that I struggle seeing Poch replicate.

 

[Wheato]

I would only give the job to Poch & him alone. If he wants to manage, Ole has to be number 2 also keeping the current Utd back room staff. If not we shouldn’t bother with Poch & stick it out with Ole. TBH atm we are seeing the dna of Utd under Ole & he is the embodiment of what we are about. There’s nobody else who would understand United hence why we’ve fallen below par since SAF retired.

I sincerely believe Moyes messed it up when he brought his own team. That continuation of Utd success was broken with Muelensteen & Phelan being shown the door. Otherwise it could’ve been different.

Thus the reason why Pool we’re quite successful in their heyday, it’s because they only changed the manager & not the back room staff. This made sure their dna wasn’t broken obviously until when the great SAF came along it all changed!

The team that Moyes inherited was on it's last legs. All the big names like Rio, Vidic, Evra, Rooney were past their best, and Scholes retired. Then there was a glut of average players like Rafael, Wellbeck, Evans, Fletcher, Young, and Jones. RVP and Nani were crocked. It was a complete re-building job that was required, and Moyes was way out of his depth in managing a mammoth task like that. To Van Gaal's credit, he moved a lot of deadwood out of the club.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

The greatest managers in the world find a way of winning trophies mate. Dont deny he's done a fantastic job at Spurs but I've consistently maintained that I don't think he is for us.

And I'm sure he will, but he has clearly had to prioritised getting a CL place every season above everything else, that is plain to see with some of the teams he has had to play in the cups, he has been willing to sacrifice this potential 'success' to ensure he gets the big money in to the club, money they've only been consistently getting since Poch came in, and money that he has not really been helped with atm due to the stadium.

This focus on trophies is really unfair imo, they are not spending like a club who should be expected to win trophies, all Poch has done is raise expectations to a point where he is now been questioned for not winning things, right at a time where they have no money to spend on the squad, and now injuries have kicked in people are questioning his ability, when it was clear if this happened they would struggle, mad really.


In an ideal world Ole will continue what he is doing, we will sign him up, and all will be good, but there is a chance that won't happen, in which case Poch has to be our man, so people should hold back with the current 'he is actually a bit crap after all' theme.

 

[No Idea For Nickname]

Right now, I can't figure out why anyone will take Poch over Ole.

Ole is passing his audition in flying colours.

Did I read this before or I had a dream of reading it.

 

[SquishyMcSquish]

You're not replaying on the point I made. The fact you're mentioning the CL group this season proves my point not denying it. You can't get it. Again, my point is Spurs only perform when no one is expecting anything from them, while tend to lose or perform badly when they're contenders for something. Everyone considered them out of CL group this season, the expectation was pretty low and pressure was eased so they went and won. That's the problem with this Spurs side. They only perform when there's no expectation from them. Once they put themselves in favorable position and media put them as contenders, they bottle it and bottle it hard. This is a problem for their manager not being able to handle pressure or teach his players how to handle it.

It's not about winning trophies as well, it's just being able to handle high expectations and massive pressure from the media of treating them as favorable to pass/win. Poch failed miserably at this. You can't have your team only playing well and winning when no one is expecting things from you.

The media builds us up as false challengers for the league (when we don't have the squad to do that) and when we inevitably don't live up to that, we've bottled it. When we were being built up as title challengers this season I was saying that it was nonsense, we simply don't have the depth or quality in midfield to be as consistent as City or Liverpool, the latter barely finished behind us last season and then went out and spent hundreds of millions, of course they'll be ahead of us!

Poch and the team are under constant pressure to finish with CL football, and at numerous points this has been under threat and we've got on fantastic runs to secure it. Don't blame him or the team because the media is desperate to have an underdog go for the title so constantly big us up, only a few deluded Spurs fans think we're genuine title material. Could we win a domestic cup if luck was with us? Sure, but the fact is that's never been the priority set by our board.

The squad needs investment because it is deteriorating, I was saying this throughout the summer and it's proving to be the case. We're allowing players to decline and move on without properly replacing them, players who were key to our success in the past. That isn't on Pochettino, it's on our board, they expect him to work with the bare minimum and he still achieves their aims .. yet for some on here that's worthy of criticism.

 

[el3mel]

The media builds us up as false challengers for the league (when we don't have the squad to do that) and when we inevitably don't live up to that, we've bottled it. When we were being built up as title challengers this season I was saying that it was nonsense, we simply don't have the depth or quality in midfield to be as consistent as City or Liverpool, the latter barely finished behind us last season and then went out and spent hundreds of millions, of course they'll be ahead of us!

Poch and the team are under constant pressure to finish with CL football, and at numerous points this has been under threat and we've got on fantastic runs to secure it. Don't blame him or the team because the media is desperate to have an underdog go for the title so constantly big us up, only a few deluded Spurs fans think we're genuine title material. Could we win a domestic cup if luck was with us? Sure, but the fact is that's never been the priority set by our board.

The squad needs investment because it is deteriorating, I was saying this throughout the summer and it's proving to be the case. We're allowing players to decline and move on without properly replacing them, players who were key to our success in the past. That isn't on Pochettino, it's on our board, they expect him to work with the bare minimum and he still achieves their aims .. yet for some on here that's worthy of criticism.

So what he's going to do when he gets a big job and media keep talking about him and his team and put massive expectations on him to deliver week in week out ?

 

[TMDaines]

Just the four home cup finals squandered. Even the semis were bent in their favour in the FA Cup.

 

[minoo-utd]

I think Poch can do lot lot better with few additions and some spending. Because his Spurs side with couple of injuries and things become hard. Wonder how he can do it here with our squad! The comparison with Ole won't be fair though, Ole did very very well till now but let's see first where he can take us!

 

[crossy1686]

I am happy with 8/8, but I still have a feling that we will come apart when we face tough opposition.

You do realise the irony of this statement right?

We've beaten Tottenham and Arsenal away from home. Perhaps you mean until we place someone like Palace or Fulham?

Every game is tough for United, it's a cup final for the other team. Tottenham on the other hand, no expectation, no pressure to win and yet when they play a 'tough' game, they lose.

If you're referring to City or Liverpool as tough games, that's a piss poor barometer to judge a manager by that's been at the club for 8 games. Surely the attacking intent, goals scored, winning streak and all round improvement against everyone is a much better way to judge the manager?

 

[SquishyMcSquish]

So what he's going to do when he gets a big job and media keep talking about him and his team and put massive expectations on him to deliver week in week out ?

When he gets a big job he'll get the backing in the transfer market and the squad to go with the expectations, rather than having to patch up positions with superglue like somehow having Moussa Sissoko looking quality for most of the season.

He may or may not be a success, I don't know. All I know is that he's done a fantastic job at Spurs and I don't see any poor mentality from him or the squad. I think at a big club the main issue he needs to work on is his tactical flexibility and ability to react better to situations, quite often he's got substitutions wrong or not made them early enough. That's his biggest weakness for me and has let us down on a couple of occasions, but again I see no issue with his mentality or ability to work under pressure.

 

[TMDaines]

I mean, if you havent spent any money (whether that's the fault of the manager or the owner) and you lose three of your best players, including your 30 goal a year striker, this is bound to happen. You cant afford to lose players like they have.

I do like how Poch has managed to convince people he hasn't got any players, when what he's actually done is treat the unfancied members of his squad, purchased under his watch, with far less regard than even Mourinho did.

 

[crossy1686]

I think Poch can do lot lot better with few additions and some spending. Because his Spurs side with couple of injuries and things become hard. Wonder how he can do it here with our squad! The comparison with Ole won't be fair though, Ole did very very well till now but let's see first where he can take us!

Don't make excuses for him. He's fell at every major test he's come up against.

 

[SquishyMcSquish]

I do like how Poch has managed to convince people he hasn't got any players, when what he's actually done is treat the unfancied members of his squad, purchased under his watch, with far less regard than even Mourinho did.

Examples please.

 

[TMDaines]

Being knocked out of the FA cup whilst he has no decent forwards available, really?

Amazing how forwards stop being decent when you treat them with utter disdain. Llorente got 15 goals in the league before Poch got hold of him. Janssen 27 in the Netherlands. Pochettino is worse than Mourinho for killing his unfancied players.

 

[FujiVice]

I do like how Poch has managed to convince people he hasn't got any players, when what he's actually done is treat the unfancied members of his squad, purchased under his watch, with far less regard than even Mourinho did.

Son, Kane and Alli are his most in form players this year, arguably. Having those three out is certainly a massive blow for the side. I cant see how this is even an argument.

 

[crossy1686]

Son, Kane and Alli are his most in form players this year, arguably. Having those three out is certainly a massive blow for the side. I cant see how this is even an argument.

We started Fabio, O'Shea, Gibson and Raffael in midfield once and beat Arsenal. You tweak your tactics for the game and you have a plan. You don't send your replacements out there to do the job of better players then blame them for being shit. You know what it is? Poor management.

 

[Fortitude]

We have average at best fullbacks, a keeper who is starting to look extremely suspect and a central midfield partnership which Everton can probably beat on paper. We have two very good central defenders but Jan is starting to show his age and has had injury issues recently, and Toby was out for most of last season. We also have very poor depth and have turned to youth at numerous points in the season, and probably will in the future, to an extent no other club challenging for top four has to.

What we do have are some very, very good attacking players, but that isn't enough. Our squad is overrated and needs serious investment. It was at its best when we finished 2nd behind Chelsea and had Walker/Rose at their best, with a proper midfield in Dembele & Wanyama. We looked fantastic in the league that season, but alas Chelsea were incredibly consistent and deserved winners. Since then we simply haven't pushed on as a team, and IMO Pochettino has done a fantastic job keeping the squad motivated and consistent.

Trippier is very highly rated, is he not? Or has that changed already? I didn't mention your midfield because I'd agree, it's not what it was. I don't think overrated can be given without the benefit of hindsight - at the outset of this season, Spurs were highly rated as a first team, but were said to be in for a tough time of it due to a lack of depth. I suppose there's a need to re-evaluate the squad (more the first team) now that weaknesses are being revealed, but that's a 'now' thing that is whimsical in itself and subject to change should you go on a run of solid performances over the next couple of months.

My thought on Pochettino is that, little by little, the impression of him is lessening because there's an air of Groundhog Day, that isn't just about a lack of squad depth. Extrapolation is suggesting he has inherent flaws now and he's got to break that chain, pretty sharpish. I have doubts about him now that weren't there a couple of seasons ago because the same things are happening time and again - formulaic and predictable, and where before, he was a manager I thought was on the up and up, I'm now wondering if he's hit his level or whether he can only go up a gear with money. His teams are good enough to win - I think it's very rare now you look inferior or like underdogs on paper; even today, many would think of that as a 50/50 tie - so then the scrutiny intensifies.

I'll add further, I don't think your style of play is evolving anymore, with your full first team in, you're not pushing on to levels unheard of - some believe you're maximising that xi, but I'm not convinced you are. Slowly but surely, you've become the Kane team, which has its merits but also its pitfalls. You were multi-faceted before that, I'm not of the opinion you are anymore.

I wouldn't throw my arms up in dismay if he were to be our new manager, but I'd certainly have doubts that could only be assuaged by him showing and proving here. It's the daring to try, and striving for more that he doesn't have in spades like you'd expect or demand of a United manager that raises an eyebrow, too. Some managers you hope and pray you can get; from what Pochettino has shown of himself at Spurs, I don't think he falls into that bracket [anymore].

 

[FujiVice]

We started Fabio, O'Shea, Gibson and Raffael in midfield once and beat Arsenal. You tweak your tactics for the game and you have a plan. You don't send your replacements out there to do the job of better players then blame them for being shit. You know what it is? Poor management.

Man once walked on the moon as well. You're using the most extreme example possibly in modern English football involving the greatest manager of all time to illurstrate a point. Pochettino isnt Alex Ferguson. That is hardly news.

 

[SquishyMcSquish]

In 16/17 this was probably our best lineup:

Lloris, Walker, Vert, Toby, Rose, Dembele, Wanyama, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane.


That's a better lineup than we can put out this season. Lloris/Vert have declined since then, Walker was better than Trippier is now, and Rose wasn't shot to pieces by injuries and was one of the best left backs in the league.

Add to that the fact that Dembele was one of the best central midfielders in the league and Wanyama was a beast of a DM (both destroyed by injuries). You can argue a couple of our attacking players have developed and improved since then, but I think it's undeniable that we've actually gone backwards since then. There's been little to no investment in the squad as we've allowed the likes of Walker to leave and brought in Aurier, watched the likes of Rose, Dembele and Wanyama clearly be broken by injuries and done nothing to counter it.

Yet Pochettino is expected to match or even improve on that and criticised for keeping us in third. It's beyond absurd.

 

[crossy1686]

Man once walked on the moon as well. You're using the most extreme example possibly in modern English football involving the greatest manager of all time to illurstrate a point. Pochettino isnt Alex Ferguson. That is hardly news.

Nice way to completely circumvent the point while making it look completely unachievable.

 

[TMDaines]

In 16/17 this was probably our best lineup:

Lloris, Walker, Vert, Toby, Rose, Dembele, Wanyama, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane.

That's a better lineup than we can put out this season. Lloris/Vert have declined since then, Walker was better than Trippier is now, and Rose wasn't shot to pieces by injuries and was one of the best left backs in the league.

Yet Pochettino is expected to match or even improve on that and criticised for keeping us in third. It's beyond absurd.

So Poch isn't to blame for a number of members of longer term squad, and the vast majority of his signings, becoming worse players under his watch?

 

[crossy1686]

So Poch isn't to blame for a number of members of longer term squad, and the vast majority of his signings, becoming worse players under his watch?

People like to credit Pochettino for his savviness in the market but blame Levy for the squad. You couldn't make it up.

 

[FujiVice]

Nice way to completely circumvent the point while making it look completely unachievable.

You're using an extreme example, instead of something like "we played Leeds in the FA Cup without Vidic or Ferdinand and lost 1-0." Shit happens, sadly, when you dont have your best side out. We've had days like this loads of times Under Fergie. Let's look at 2006-07 when we had about 17 or 18 players at our disposal. Take Rooney, Ronaldo and Scholes out of that side, and we arent beating sides every week.

 

[crossy1686]

You're using an extreme example, instead of something like "we played Leeds in the FA Cup without Vidic or Ferdinand and lost 1-0." Shit happens, sadly, when you dont have your best side out.

Good managers also have a game plan to ensure they can get a result or at least come close to getting one despite the restrictions placed on them. They don't send inferior players out to do the job of brilliant players like for like.