Mauricio Pochettino has explained why he does not implement Marcelo Bielsa's man-to-man marking himself as a manager.
Pochettino played under Bielsa a number of times in his career and, whilst he says he enjoys watching the Leeds United manager put teams out, he did not take his compatriot's style into his own managerial career.
The former Tottenham Hotspur boss says Bielsa's style is unique and easily identifiable to his old manager.
He said: "It’s really tough.
"Of course, I can talk about the time when I was his player.
"I think from that period to today, he was involved of course in many aspects, his teams are different, but I think the principles and identity, you can recognise Marcelo Bielsa’s teams from even when I was his player."
Yet Pochettino argued that the flexibility required in playing a man-to-man style, along with the risks associated with it, means that it is a difficult tactic for many other managers to be willing to implement.
He said: "We need to split the two aspects. When you go to press high, I think you need to take a risk if you want to be successful in the way that you press and to take the risk is first of all, about attitude.
"It’s about being brave, and to play a high defensive line. If you’re successful and you recover the ball, you can attack quickly, and of course, that’s the result when the coaches or managers are prepared to press high.
"It’s about being successful and recovering the ball, as close as you can, to try to attack and to have the facility to create a chance, but it depends how you’re going to behave if they break your first press, it depends how you behave if you are going to follow man-to-man, or if you’re going to behave in a similar organisation."
Pochettino added: "That’s how it’s going to change, and how you need to work, that is of course, you’re going to talk about other coaches, you’re asking me what me and my coaching staff like, and it’s to prepare different things.
"Sometimes you can make a mistake, you can arrive late, the players are going to press, the timing is not so good, because the high press is about timing too.
"Sometimes when the opponent breaks your pressure so high, it’s the organisation of your team is so important.
"You can decide to change your organisation, and decide to play in a different way, that is why, to be flexible during a game, is what we love to work and to play.
"Of course, in this way, it’s difficult for Leeds to change your organisation, it’s not only about the quick change, it’s about in your mind, when to change your organisation and whether to keep going in the same way and trying to play in a similar organisation.”
