Former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane has said that he has great admiration for Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino and added that he is in awe of how he runs things at the club.
Pochettino moved to Spurs from Southampton in 2014 and took the club to this year’s Champions League final where they ultimately lost to Liverpool in Madrid.
The Argentine has won over 55% of his games as Spurs manager, the second highest in the club’s history, and Keane has said that his impact is reverberated around the training ground from the front office to the goalposts.
“It’s just the way he is with people,” said Keane as he visited Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin as part of his duties as a Euro 2020 Ambassador.
“He’s brilliant with people. Whether it’s the tea lady or Harry Kane or anybody else, he’s got a great manner about him. He’s got a presence. He’s great on the training pitch. He’ll go on to a training pitch and do a session, like keep ball or whatever, and then he’d go over and do shooting with the goalkeepers himself. I’ve never seen a manager do that.
“He’d be banging the balls into the goalkeepers. Usually the goalkeeping coach is over with them in the corner on their own and he’d go over and take shots with them. That stood out to me more than anything.”
Keane added that Pochettino and his coaching staff have been more than accommodating to him and he noted that he still gets a big buzz out of winning games and helping players.
“Pochettino has been brilliant,” added Keane.
“His door is always open to come over and watch the lads train and watch his training sessions. His assistant manager Jesus Perez has been great. I’ve been fortunate enough in that respect that I’ve those people to call on and ask questions and they’ve been great.
“Winning game is still the biggest buzz for me. We give the players specific things to do on the training ground and then when it comes off in games that’s a buzz. They’re listening. You’re showing them stuff, and the manager wants certain stuff, then they do it on the pitch, we get a buzz from that, but nothing still beats scoring a goal.”
Keane has been linked with a move to Middlesbrough to join Jonathan Woodgate’s coaching staff and he said he’d consider the opening and come to a decision on the post later this week.
