Where are Tottenham’s first-team starters under Mauricio Pochettino right now?

 

As evidenced by his tenure at Spurs,

Mauricio Pochettino has a history of turning

underperforming teams into top-four

challengers.

The first starting lineup Pochettino fielded

for Spurs included players who weren’t up

to the task and eventually left the team.

Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier are two

prominent members of Pochettino’s initial

starting XI at Tottenham who have been

with the team for a sizable amount of time.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea’s

present makeover is not unprecedented. The

Argentine has a history of acting as the

deadwood remover, turning teams with

mediocre records into top-four contenders

in just a few transfer windows.

 

His time at Tottenham is a case study of how

to fully maximise resources at a manager’s

disposal. The highly-regarded gaffer arrives

at Stamford Bridge with a penchant for

taking rudderless sides and instilling a

fighting mentality, an incredibly distinctive

style, and a togetherness that has been

absent at Chelsea for 18 months.

Upon taking over at Spurs in 2014, the

former Southampton and Espanyol boss was

inheriting a side that was a confusion of

talented misfits and average footballing

journeymen who arguably, weren’t fit for

purpose.

 

Joining a club who were yo-yo-ing between

Europa League finishes and occasionally

qualifying for the Champions League,

Pochettino was the catalyst that took

Tottenham from a big club to a part of

Europe’s elite. As he begins to rebuild

Chelsea’s side in his image, let’s take a look

at his first starting XI at Spurs before he had

undertaken the same process which saw

them reach a Champions League Final and

finish second in the league…

 

GK: Hugo Lloris

 

The passionate, forthright Frenchman has

been a mainstay in North London for what

seems like an eternity. The 6’2 goalkeeper

signed from Lyon in 2012 and is one of just

two players still remaining from the

inception of the Pochettino era.

Having won a World Cup and a Nations

League since then, a trophy at domestic

level sadly still eludes him and would be a

brilliant way to cap off over a decade of

servitude in North London, even if it is just

in the form of a second choice ‘keeper.

 

Now 36, the shot-stopper could possibly

have one eye on retirement with Guglielmo

Vicario coming in from Empoli as the

prospective heir to his goalkeeping thrown.

At his best Lloris’ acrobatic reflexes, bionic

reaction time, and ability to read the game

from his box have forged a reputation for

him as one of the best goalkeepers on the

planet.

 

RB: Kyle Naughton

 

Tottenham had an inexplicable habit of

fielding right-backs named Kyle during the

mid-2010s, with Naughton, Walker, and

Walker-Peters all playing a part for the

Whites at some point or another under

Pochettino’s rule.

It just so happened to be Kyle of the

Naughton kind for Poch’s first game in

charge, but the starting right-back would

quickly fall out-of-favour, and arguably,

didn’t make the best first impression under

his new manager after being sent off in their

1-0 win over West Ham.

Naughton would eventually head for North

Wales in 2015, joining then-Premier League

side, Swansea City. The player has now been

with the club for eight years, and at 34 could

well retire at the Liberty Stadium after

recently signing a new one-year contract

extension.

 

CB: Younes Kaboul

 

Younes Kaboul was somewhat of a

throwback at centre-half, big, bustling, and

aerially dominant, the Frenchman was one

of the last defenders from the school of

Terry Butcher, with the blood-soaked

bandage wrapped around his scarred head,

all-black boots, and no-nonsense attitude, so

understandably, was a natural choice as

Pochettino’s first captain.

When he wasn’t injured, he was a

solidifying presence at the back, however,

just a short while after Pochettino’s

introduction, the France international made

the move up North for a short spell at

Sunderland where he was part of a team

that kept the Black Cats in the Premier

League. His North East stint didn’t last for

long, finding himself unable to resist the

pull of the South, and what had been his

home for the five years preceding. Heading

to Watford to the tune of £4 million, the

player appeared for the Hornets on just 26

occasions, before retiring thereafter.

 

CB: Eric Dier

 

Along with his old pal, Hugo, Eric Dier is the

only other player who still remains at the

club. This was in fact, Dier’s debut for

Tottenham, and one where he certainly

endeared himself to his new support, being

the only player on the scoresheet in the 1-0 win.

Since his maiden Spurs outing, Dier has

played for England 49 times, been an ever-

present member of the Tottenham squad,

and has even confronted a fan for being

abusive to his brother. Now 29, the player is

approaching a decade with the club, and it

may be his last if his contract which expires

next year isn’t renewed.

 

LB: Danny Rose

 

Rose’s career started with a very literal

bang, with a scorching volley against old

foes, Arsenal in a 2-1 win. It could be argued

the left-back peaked too soon, but the fact he

was a Poch-favourite and a continued

selection for the England squad perhaps

attested otherwise.

After that infamous meeting with manager,

Jose Mourinho captured on the All or

Nothing Amazon Prime sports docuseries,

the boy from Doncaster’s career has

seemingly fizzled out following a string of

second-rate moves to Newcastle and

Watford. The fullback has been an ardent

advocate for men’s mental health, having

been diagnosed with depression in 2018,

and his role in raising awareness within

footballing circles has been crucial in

helping to educate antiquated attitudes to

such matters.

 

CM: Etienne Capoue

 

The Niort-born French international was

one of the duds signed with the world-

record fee of £85 million the club secured

for Gareth Bale. In what transpired to be an

underwhelming acquisition, the defensive

midfielder’s £9.5 million transfer flattered to

deceive in a Spurs shirt.

The player appeared for Tottenham on just

36 occasions during his two-year stint in

North London, and according to the player

was never told why he was dropped by boss,

Mauricio. Since then, Capoue has gone on to

play for both Watford and Villareal, going

on to star in the latter’s Europa League win

over Manchester United in 2021.

 

CM: Nabil Bentaleb

 

Like that of his midfield counterpart,

Bentaleb’s Spurs career was also short-lived,

moving on in 2016 with a loan move to

Schalke, followed by a permanent move to

the then-Bundesliga club. After a brief loan

back in England at Newcastle, the midfielder

found a more permanent home with Ligue 2

side, Angers where he is still playing now at

the age of 28. With several years still left in

his career as a professional footballer, the

former Lille and Spurs youth product will be

hoping he can help his current side find a

way back into France’s top-flight.

 

RAM: Christian Erikse

 

Christian Eriksen presents one of the more

intriguing tales in this Spurs XI. The

attacking midfielder was a shining light

during Pochettino’s tenure. An expert

passer, peerless playmaker, and visionary

footballer, the Dane was one of the standout

players in the Tottenham team that made it

to the Champions League final and

challenged for the league title. Departing

Hotspur Way shortly after his former

manager, Eriksen joined up with Italian

giants, Inter in 2020. After an unremarkable

start to his Italian campaign, a chain of

events followed that were by their very

definition, remarkable.

Collapsing on the pitch in Denmark’s Euro

2020 opener due to a near-fatal heart attack,

Eriksen was essentially dead for five

minutes, with his teammates and home

crowd watching on with their mouths

agape. Resuscitated by medics, the former

Tottenham man made a miraculous

recovery, with initial fears he would never

be able to tie up his laces again. Joining

Brentford on a short-term deal in 2022, and

then making the switch to his new home,

Manchester United where he remains today.

A true footballing miracle.

 

LAM: Aaron Lennon

 

There was an air of world-beater about

Aaron Lennon when he got going. A

fullback’s worst nightmare the tricky,

explosive winger had a killer delivery, and

an immense low centre of gravity allowing

him to almost glide between defenders.

The player left Tottenham in 2015, joining

Everton and then Burnley. Lennon

announced his retirement in 2022, regularly

speaks about his experiences with mental

health issues, and has taken it upon himself

to raise awareness around a topic that has

become increasingly less taboo.

 

CAM: Erik Lamela

 

“Everywhere you go, always take Lamela

with you” was an inspired chant to the tune

of Crowded House’s 1991 hit, Weather With You.

The left midfielder has bags of natural flair,

and an over-abundance of ability, however,

a mixture of inconsistency and a procession

of injuries meant that White Hart Lane

rarely got to see the Argentinian midfielder

at the peak of his powers. Lamela left on a

free transfer in 2021, joining Sevilla where

he has since gone on to win a Europa

League.

 

ST: Emmanuel Adebayor

 

The Togolese international developed a

reputation for being somewhat of a

footballing maverick. The striker was partial

not the occasional screamer, and was just

three goals off being inducted into the

Premier League 100 goal club.

When he wasn’t running the length of the

pitch to celebrate in front of an incensed

Arsenal away end, he was globetrotting,

playing for numerous world-class sides,

including Man City and Real Madrid.

Leaving Spurs in 2015, Adebayor would go

on to play for another eight years,

announcing his retirement in March 2023, aged 39.