Here's a stupid idea that might just work

Mauricio Pochettino should be appointed England manager if Roy Hodgson decided to step down for whatever reason. “That’s silly” I hear you cry, but give me a minute to explain why it just might work.

The reason why it seems stupid is because he’s foreign, and despite being in charge of Southampton for over a year now, can’t speak a word of English (to the media anyway). When we had Fabio Capello in charge, he stated how hard it was to communicate with the players in particular because of the language barrier; he had to learn English in order to take them forward according to the FA. But it shouldn’t matter if they can speak English or not, as long as they get the team playing well and getting results. However, it’s more than that now.

There is intensifying pressure on the English clubs to produce English talent and play that talent in the first team because the FA feels it will benefit the English national side. Big money acquisitions from abroad such as Mesut Ozil and Willian at the start of the season hasn’t really helped that cause, no matter how good they may be. One manager has so far defied the rest by playing English players, young English players that need games at the top level. That man is Mauricio Pochettino.

Southampton has a famed academy which is responsible for producing the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Leon ‘Simply The’ Best. The academy long proceeded Pochettino, and the way the club nurtures its youngsters also long proceeded Pochettino. What Pochettino has done differently to the other managers however is two things. Firstly, he’s managed to tie the majority of them down to new contracts, with Adam Lallana signing a new five year contract last season, Luke Shaw signing a five year deal at the start of this season, as well as convincing Calum Chambers and Rickie Lambert to commit their future to the club under his tenure. The second thing is he is able to give them Premier League experience, something only Nigel Adkins has been able do to. The thing that distinguishes Pochettino from Adkins though is that three Southampton players have received international recognition with England under Pochettino’s regime, so he must be doing something that Adkins failed to do. The fact that Rickie Lambert was called up despite being 31 also shows that the style of football Pochettino plays pays dividends for everyone involved, not just the young players.

If there’s one thing that Pochettino is guilty of however, it is that he has slightly given in to the money game, splashing out in the summer on foreign talent such as Victor Wanyama, Dejan Lovren and Dani Osvaldo, who has since been shipped out on loan to Juventus. Despite this however, the home-grown talent still have places in the team, with the exception of Wanyama initially taking the place of Jack Cork in the centre of midfield, a position Cork has since won back. He will give the talent coming through a chance of playing in the first team, even if it is in one of the cup competitions or five minutes from the bench; the experience is vital no matter what competition it may come in. Sam McQueen, Sam Gallagher and Harrison Reed all made their first team debuts this season, while Calum Chambers has become a regular starter at right back under Pochettino.

Pochettino’s future is in doubt too due to the departure of Nicola Cortese, so what the end of the season holds for Pochettino is up in the air at the moment. If Pochettino isn’t involved in the England setup in the future (which is very unlikely as it is), his Southampton players have to be recognised more. Lallana, Lambert and Rodriguez already have been recognised, but I’m talking about the likes of Luke Shaw and Jack Cork who have been incredibly impressive this season. Shaw is a regular player for Southampton, whilst Ashley Cole has been sitting on the bench for Chelsea, with Mourinho preferring Cesar Azpilicueta at left back. It’s one thing for the FA to say that English players should be playing more, but they have to pick the ones that are playing, and not overlook them for ones that are sitting on the bench. It’s common sense.

The title race

Chelsea have just ended Manchester City's 100% home record in the Premier League, and credit has to go to Jose Mourinho for that. Love him or hate him, the man is a genius. But what has that win told us about the title race?

Firstly, it shows that Man City are vulnerable at home, and is not mission impossible for the away side. They've shown in previous games that they can be shaky at home, most notably the Watford game in the FA Cup (a game that I was fortunate enough to be in attendance of), as well as conceding more than usual at home recently. Obviously only one was enough for Chelsea tonight, but their defence had to be outstanding, which it was, meaning Man City failed to score at home for the first time in 61 games.

It also shows us that City miss Aguero. Maybe not for games against so called lesser sides, but against title rivals, his cutting edge is needed. Dzeko and Negredo are both quality strikers, and Jovetic is starting to find his feet, but none of them are like Sergio Aguero. In that Watford game, he scored a hat-trick, but was nowhere near outstanding, just in the right place at the right time. A clinical edge was needed tonight against Chelsea, and I feel that Aguero would have buried some of the chances Dzeko had, or at least hit the target.

We also learnt that Chelsea can be hit and miss. A 0-0 against a West Ham side at home isn't the result that a title chasing side should be achieving. Beating City at the Etihad is the result that a title chasing side should be achieving. Away defeats to Stoke and Newcastle in the last few months of 2013, as well as snatching a last gasp home draw with West Brom did make people question Mourinho, but the man gets his tactics right when they play the so called 'big teams'. If Chelsea are to win the title this season, Mourinho has to get his tactics right against the smaller sides as well, and not underestimate them, which he can do at times.

One thing is for sure - we're in for a great final few months of the season.