Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino deserves respect, not ridicule, for complaining about the size of the pitch at White Hart Lane. It’s the managers who look at the fine details that create success. Now he’s pointed out the problem, it’s time to find a solution. It’s easy to become flustered by the speed of the game in a tight space and even controlling the ball can become difficult. That is all amplified when results aren’t going your way. Measuring in at a pocket-sized 100m x 67m White Hart Lane is the third smallest pitch in the Premier League . The Tottenham manager believes the small size of the White Hart Lane pitch is counting against his team . Ayoze Perez heads Newcastle into the lead as Tottenham fell apart at White Hart Lane last Sunday . We know Pochettino wants his new team to play expansive, attacking football but that doesn’t happen simply because there is more grass to work on. It’s all linked to confidence and making the space work for you. Tony Pulis made the pitch at Stoke smaller because he wanted to stifle top teams. At Highbury we had an incredibly tight pitch and with compact stands and the crowd so close it made life very uncomfortable for the opposition but we relished it. When we played our Champions League games at Wembley, we struggled because of the size of the pitch and vastness of the stadium. Pochettino has said he feels like a psychologist at Tottenham, but must give his players the confidence to play . Erik Lamela has shown some glimpses of what he can offer but there is still work to be done at Tottenham . Another player whom Martin Keown believes is key for Tottenham this season is Belgian star Nacer Chadli . The Premier League pitches in order of size . The Highbury pitch was about as big as the surface at White Hart Lane but some of the football under Arsene Wenger was the most fluid you will ever see. The trick was to make it feel cramped for the opposition but huge for us. It encouraged our style of play and helped us smother our opponents. Our attitude was: ‘We can cope in this space. Can you?’ On a small pitch you must be comfortable in possession and move the ball quickly. You want your match- winners in possession in the final third and we did that by playing two-touch football to get Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry on the ball. Pochettino will know all this and he has men who can operate at speed in tight spaces. Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen have been among Spurs’ better players this season and the manager might do well to adopt a similar style of moving the ball quickly to those three. The Argentine coach has said he feels like a psychologist at Tottenham but it’s his job to instil confidence in the players. They need that air of authority to create time and space on the ball. Before the 2011 Champions League final, I watched Barcelona training at Arsenal. They had the freedom of the training ground but set up in a tight corner. They even had the buildings overshadow them to recreate the overhang of a stadium. Pep Guardiola drilled his side to be comfortable in confined spaces so then when they were in a match they felt they had the freedom of the park. When I played for Everton and Aston Villa at Highbury, I saw it from the other side. It was so tight and there was no time on the ball. It was like switching from driving on a motorway, where you’re almost unaware of how fast you’re moving, to doing the same speed in the suburbs. As a home player that gave you a real buzz; as a visitor it was a nightmare. Spurs could make life much more difficult for their opponents. Pochettino’s Southampton were the best at pressing high and early but we’ve yet to see that at Spurs. In football if you work early, you work less and those rewards are doubled on a tighter pitch. Pochettino proved himself at Southampton, where they combined aggressive pressing and fluent attacking, so it’s ridiculous to hear any Spurs fans calling for his head. Tottenham might have lost three home games, but it’s time to turn the tightness of White Hart Lane into a home advantage. Keown says Spurs must use the confines of their pitch to their advantage, much like Arsenal did at Highbury .
Mauricio Pochettino must find solution to his problem, says Martin Keown .
Keown claims the trick is in making it feel cramped for the opposition .
The Tottenham boss must instil confidence in his players to create time and space on the ball if they are to make the pitch work to their advantage .
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino deserves respect, not ridicule, for complaining about the size of the pitch at White Hart Lane. It’s the managers who look at the fine details that create success. Now he’s pointed out the problem, it’s time to find a solution. It’s easy to become flustered by the speed of the game in a tight space and even controlling the ball can become difficult. That is all amplified when results aren’t going your way. Measuring in at a pocket-sized 100m x 67m White Hart Lane is the third smallest pitch in the Premier League . The Tottenham manager believes the small size of the White Hart Lane pitch is counting against his team . Ayoze Perez heads Newcastle into the lead as Tottenham fell apart at White Hart Lane last Sunday . We know Pochettino wants his new team to play expansive, attacking football but that doesn’t happen simply because there is more grass to work on. It’s all linked to confidence and making the space work for you. Tony Pulis made the pitch at Stoke smaller because he wanted to stifle top teams. At Highbury we had an incredibly tight pitch and with compact stands and the crowd so close it made life very uncomfortable for the opposition but we relished it. When we played our Champions League games at Wembley, we struggled because of the size of the pitch and vastness of the stadium. Pochettino has said he feels like a psychologist at Tottenham, but must give his players the confidence to play . Erik Lamela has shown some glimpses of what he can offer but there is still work to be done at Tottenham . Another player whom Martin Keown believes is key for Tottenham this season is Belgian star Nacer Chadli . The Premier League pitches in order of size . The Highbury pitch was about as big as the surface at White Hart Lane but some of the football under Arsene Wenger was the most fluid you will ever see. The trick was to make it feel cramped for the opposition but huge for us. It encouraged our style of play and helped us smother our opponents. Our attitude was: ‘We can cope in this space. Can you?’ On a small pitch you must be comfortable in possession and move the ball quickly. You want your match- winners in possession in the final third and we did that by playing two-touch football to get Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry on the ball. Pochettino will know all this and he has men who can operate at speed in tight spaces. Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen have been among Spurs’ better players this season and the manager might do well to adopt a similar style of moving the ball quickly to those three. The Argentine coach has said he feels like a psychologist at Tottenham but it’s his job to instil confidence in the players. They need that air of authority to create time and space on the ball. Before the 2011 Champions League final, I watched Barcelona training at Arsenal. They had the freedom of the training ground but set up in a tight corner. They even had the buildings overshadow them to recreate the overhang of a stadium. Pep Guardiola drilled his side to be comfortable in confined spaces so then when they were in a match they felt they had the freedom of the park. When I played for Everton and Aston Villa at Highbury, I saw it from the other side. It was so tight and there was no time on the ball. It was like switching from driving on a motorway, where you’re almost unaware of how fast you’re moving, to doing the same speed in the suburbs. As a home player that gave you a real buzz; as a visitor it was a nightmare. Spurs could make life much more difficult for their opponents. Pochettino’s Southampton were the best at pressing high and early but we’ve yet to see that at Spurs. In football if you work early, you work less and those rewards are doubled on a tighter pitch. Pochettino proved himself at Southampton, where they combined aggressive pressing and fluent attacking, so it’s ridiculous to hear any Spurs fans calling for his head. Tottenham might have lost three home games, but it’s time to turn the tightness of White Hart Lane into a home advantage. Keown says Spurs must use the confines of their pitch to their advantage, much like Arsenal did at Highbury .
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino deserves but must give his players the confidence to play Tottenham . Another player whom Martin Keown to make it feel cramped for the opposition but instil confidence in the players. They need that air of authority to create time and space on the use the confines of their pitch to their