Mauricio Pochettino: 'Football is a process and it can take time. This team is starting to show character'

Published: 18 December, 2014
by DAN CARRIER at White Hart Lane

Capital One Cup, Round Five
SPURS 4, NEWCASTLE UNITED 0

SPURS will take on League One side Sheffield United in the semi-final of this season’s Capital One Cup after an emphatic 4-0 win over Newcastle last night (Wednesday).

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino sang the praises of his squad after making six changes from the 2-1 victory at Swansea on Sunday. He said seeing his side turn on the style at home was “fantastic” after a string of disappointing results at the Lane.

“The result in front of our supporters was so important,” said Pochettino. “The players have needed to feel more free and confident, and tonight they showed that.

“Football is a process and it can take time. This team is starting to show character. Today we showed belief in our way.”

He said he would not take Sheffield United for granted and Spurs had work to do to reach a Wembley final against Chelsea or Liverpool in February.

“I know Tottenham have a tradition in the cups and how important it is for the club’s supporters,” he said. “We will respect Sheffield United. They deserve to be in the semi-final. They too have fought for this.”

Spurs started well, with Nacer Chadli, Harry Kane and Beni Stambouli all going close in the first quarter of an hour.

For the visitors, Moussa Sissoko tested stand-in goalkeeper Michael Vorm with a wonderful drive that the Spurs stopper did well to get a strong pair of hands to.

It was the only time Newcastle genuinely threatened.

On 18 minutes, a disastrous fumble by Jak Alnwick in the Newcastle goal gifted Spurs a lead. A deep cross should have been easy for Newcastle’s second-choice stopper, but Alnwick took his eye of the ball as he went to catch it, allowing Nabil Bentaleb to scoop home from close range.

Spurs kept going and had Newcastle penned back with free-flowing football. Kane nearly doubled the lead on 36 minutes with a shot that was an inch wide of the far past, and then the striker deserved a penalty minutes later when Newcastle skipper Fabricio Coloccini bundled into him – but the referee wasn’t convinced.

The game was essentially made safe almost straight from the restart.

The excellent Chadli shimmied into space on the edge of the box just 18 seconds into the second period and stroked the ball home. The lead was extended on 62 minutes via Kane from inside the box and a fourth was added by substitute Roberto Soldado.

It was as comprehensive as they come – and  Spurs now go into the new year competing on four fronts, and must be favourites to reach an eighth League Cup final.

SPURS: Vorm, Rose, Vertonghen, Chiriches, Townsend, Kane (Soldado, 68), Fazio, Chadli (Dembele, 60), Eriksen, Stambouli, Bentaleb (Capoue, 79).
Subs: Lloris, Kaboul, Soldado, Lamela, Naughton, Dembele, Capoue.
Att: 34,677

SPURS COMMENT by Dan Carrier

FIVE thoughts from last night:

Benji Stambouli is ready for a Premier League start. He’s been solid in the Europa League and was terrific last night.

Nabil Bentaleb divides opinion. Last term he got stick for being Tim Sherwood’s “pet project” but sometimes it’s the footballers who do the simple stuff that make a team tick. His performance was composed and he capped it off with his first senior goal.

It isn’t just the 14 goals so far this term that has made Harry Kane a hit, nor the fact he’s a product of the youth system – it’s because he busts a gut right across the pitch, in possession or not.

Unused substitute Younes Kaboul may be club captain, but it’s clear he is nowhere near the team. It would be no surprise if he was now below Eric Dier and Vlad Chiriches in Poch’s thoughts.

Sheffield United have lost just two cup games in 18 ties. They won’t be pushovers. Poch will have to consider playing his first XI to secure a day out at Wembley.