After a week full of drama including the 5-3 extra time win over Barnsley in the Capital One Cup and the Blues telling John Stones he isn't going anywhere, Everton take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. We spoke to someone who probably hates Chelsea and Jose Mourinho just as much as we do ahead of the game.
Thanks go out to our friends at Cartilage Free Captain, the SB Nation Soccer Tottenham blog and one of the editors Bryan Ashlock for speaking with us. Click here to read the reverse interview we did on the Spurs site.
RBM - Tottenham played the MLS All-Stars, Real Madrid & AC Milan in a pretty high-profile preseason schedule. While the marketing folks always have a lot to do with that, did you see any on-pitch benefits coming out of it?
CFC - First of all, and this is not your fault, I'm getting annoyed by this whole idea about marketing and brand building influencing the summer schedule. Did it suck to play back to back games in Berlin a few days before the season started? Sure, but I'd much rather play Real Madrid and AC Milan then Leyton Orient or Kettering Town. That's not fun or interesting.
My little mini rant aside, yes. We're definitely seeing the benefits. Maybe the results aren't showing it, but we look like a much more coherent team so far this season and all the players seem to understand Pochettino's system better.
RBM - In the Premier League era, the position of the manager has been pretty shaky at White Hart Lane with ten managers in twelve seasons. How do fans feel about Mauricio Pocchetino after one full season?
CFC - I swear someone just gave you a list of buttons to push. Manager turnover here hasn't been all that different from the turnover at Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. That said, I really think things around the club are settling down and fans and management are committed to Pochettino for the foreseeable future. I would say that many are excited to see him run his system with players that really and truly buy in to the style of play. We've seen how good his teams can be during his time at Soton and his first year at Spurs, so I think a lot of people are excited. On the other hand, Poche is still and ideologue and his use of substitutes is sometimes maddening. The early results have led to some #PocheOut grumblings from some sectors, but I think he's going to have a lot of rope to work with this season.
RBM - We are going through what must be Daniel Levy's favourite time of the year, the transfer window. How has he done on the summer market so far? What other moves do you expect him to make in the next few days?
CFC - Son Heung-Min seems like he'll be announced in the next day or two. That's a very exciting move. After that, I fully expect us to sign another central midfielder. Signs are pointing to that being Victor Wanyama, but who knows. Saido Berahino is the other big name out there, but if we get Son and not Berahino, I won't be too bothered. With respect to the window as a whole, I think if we get Son and Wanyama then it's a great window. Really, the success of this window turns on whether Spurs adress their weakness in midfield. No midfielder = Bad Window. For now though, Kevin Wimmer, Kieran Trippier, Toby Alderweireld, Clinton N'jie, Son, and Wanyama looks like an amazing summer period.
RBM - Ryan Mason has gone on record to say that he feels Spurs are better equipped to hold a lead going into the Everton game. After two successive games with blown leads, what has changed to prevent this?
CFC - I have literally no idea. Ryan Mason might be delusional. The only way Spurs could be better equipped to hold leads is if the team signed a midfielder and didn't tell anyone. You think James McCarthy is going to come out of the tunnel this weekend, rip off his Everton kit and reveal a Spurs kit beneath it? That's the only way I can see us being better equipped to hold a lead.
RBM - What does the Tottenham youth setup look like? With the team playing on four fronts again this season, who are the young players you will be keeping an eye on to break through?
CFC - Oh man! The young players are all super exciting. We did a ranking of the top 15 prospects this summer (http://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/tottenham-hotspur-prospect-rankings-2015) and some really god guys got left off the list. Dele Alli is probably the most exciting name of all our young players. He scored last week and I wouldn't be surprised if he started against Everton. Josh Onomuh and Harry Winks could play a role for the team this year and Tom Carroll and Alex Pritchard are also exciting, though slightly older. Also, if you're a fan of fun and the Scottish Championship (which sound like they would be mutually exclusive) check out Nathan Oduwa. The Spurs youngster is on loan at Rangers and, when he's not getting the crap kicked out of him, he's doing rainbow flicks and stepovers to his heart's content.
RBM - What are the fans' expectations for this season? What would need to happen for the majority of the fanbase to say 2015-16 has been a successful season?
CFC - The expectations are probably the same as ever. Finish top six, challenge for top four, etc. etc. A season like last year with a deep cup run and a fairly easy finish in the Europa League would probably satisfy most of our fans. This is another transitional season as the team really starts to adapt to Pochettino's style. A top four finish would be great, but it's by no means necessary for this season to be viewed as a success.
RBM - Finally, how do you expect Saturday's game to go? How about a score prediction?
CFC - I mean, you've seen our games so far right? We'll score first and then probably concede a goal on beautiful counter-attack and that will be that. The Blues' counter looks very dangerous and Spurs are always vulnerable to being caught out by teams that break quickly through the middle. 1-1 seems like a reasonable result.