Mauricio Pochettino placing importance on Tottenham summer friendlies?

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino may care more about summer friendlies and preseason tournaments than some realize.

Most casual football fans think little, if anything, about summer friendlies involving European squads that occur every July. Tottenham Hotspur playing at half-speed versus the likes of Manchester City in middle America may appeal to pockets of fans who otherwise cannot travel to see Spurs live in-person, but the outcomes of these matches mean less than the games you encounter during your FIFA Career Mode sessions.

It appears Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino places more emphasis on these matches than one may believe. In a piece published on Friday, ESPN’s John Crace wrote about Pochettino’s intentional increase of the quality of opponents placed on the club’s preseason schedule since taking over as Spurs boss:

"In the 2015-16 preseason, Tottenham lined up against Real Madrid and AC Milan in front of sell-out crowds of 70,000 in Munich. Last year’s preseason saw Spurs take on Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan and this year they have headed off to America where they will play Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Manchester City before flying home to take on Juventus at Wembley in the final week before the new season."

At first glance, one may, understandably, brush this off as little more than a club taking whatever potential matches are available considering the circumstances. After all, it only behooves Tottenham to complete tours of North American cities outside of the New York region to reward a fan base that has spread rapidly throughout the United States over the past decade or so.

Spurs sell seats at arenas throughout the continent, and the club also moves quite a bit of merchandise touring these excursions overseas. That City and PSG also happen to be in America this summer is a happy coincidence.

Think about it for more than a few seconds, though, and you’ll realize Pochettino isn’t reinventing the wheel with this practice. Truth be told, US sports fans see this from teams every year. College football programs looking to bolster bowl statuses schedule difficult pre-conference opponents rather than partaking in cash-grab games against lesser competition.

Domestic soccer clubs accept invitations to travel overseas to meet with the likes or Arsenal or Bayern Munich. This supposed shift in policy is new-ish only to Tottenham.

Tottenham no longer facing fluff weeks before the official beginnings of seasons does represent Pochettino’s visual shift in the culture of the club. The days of Spurs starting campaigns flat and seemingly still on summer holidays being accepted as merely just the way things are have disappeared, for at least the time being, and they’ve been replaced by high expectations the manager has for all in his squad.

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Pochettino giving academy players looks versus opponents such as City, Roma and PSG in July and early August isn’t just about resting stars for meaningful matches. He truly believes, for good or for bad, he can develop players capable of eventually featuring against Premier League rivals as well as chairman Daniel Levy can buy starters during open transfer windows.

Remarkably, Pochettino has essentially turned every match, including summer friendlies and cup fixtures that may not even air on television where you live, into auditions for anybody given a shirt on those particular days. Impress, as did the likes of Kieran Trippier, and you may be rewarded with opportunities to become more than a rotational member of the squad. Disappoint, as did Moussa Sissoko, and you’ll magically have some sort of “virus” whenever Tottenham enjoy a trip from England to the States.

Under Pochettino, Tottenham have grown a reputation for being responsible for arguably the most strenuous training sessions in the Premier League. That played at least some part in Spurs rallying back from behind late in matches multiple times last season, but there’s more to Pochettino’s madness than ensuring his starters can go 90 minutes. He is mentally weeding the weak out from the fit nearly every time he observes his squad. There are no longer any off days at Tottenham whenever Pochettino believes work is to be done.

None of this is to suggest results of preseason matches matter all that much to Pochettino or anybody else at Spurs. Tottenham supporters should neither celebrate a 3-0 victory nor lament a 3-0 defeat that occurs in July. Rather, take special notice of how much, or how little, certain players in Lilywhite care during these games.

You can be sure Pochettino will be doing just that.