Rickie Lambert Reveals How Complaint Over Training With Ex-Boss Pochettino Backfired

Rickie Lambert has revealed how a chat with Mauricio Pochettino over the ex-Southampton boss' training methods completely backfired on the striker. Lambert

Rickie Lambert has revealed how a chat with Mauricio Pochettino over the ex-Southampton boss' training methods completely backfired on the striker.

Lambert officially announced his retirement from professional football on 2nd October and has been offering up some interesting insights into his career since then.

The former forward worked alongside now Tottenham manager Pochettino on the south coast in his final season at St. Mary's and told BBC Radio Solent about one particular moment during that 12-month spell that will always stay with him.

🗣️ "I just couldn't cope"

Former #Saintsfc striker Rickie Lambert on the day he questioned the training methods of Mauricio Pochettino ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9wPbwcgIXY

— BBC Radio Solent Sport (@solentsport) October 10, 2017

Known for his physically-demanding training routines, Pochettino shocked Lambert with the amount of gruelling work he put his players through - and the ex-England international revealed how he and a former teammate asked the Argentine to tone down the tempo of his sessions on Mondays.

Lambert said: "It wasn't the Fridays (that were the hardest), which is a shock, but the Mondays when I'd played 90 minutes.

"We'd come in and, to everyone else, it was just like a job to a three-quarters kind of pace - but to me it was three-quarters and above.

LINDSEY PARNABY/GettyImages

"I was just like 'What on Earth is going on here?' We'd do 12 horse shoe runs and I just couldn't cope!

"It was me and Jos Hooiveld that who actually had the bottle to go into his room, pull him to one side and very respectfully, just say 'Look Mauricio, we understand what you're trying to do but I just think you're pushing us too much on a Monday and you just need to calm it down.'

"Mauricio was dead polite and said 'That's fine. Okay, I understand'. We shook hands, went back out to the lads thinking 'Yep, we've just done it for you boys! Sorted!'

"So we played the game - 90 minutes again - and came back in on Monday. Not only did we do 12 but we did 24 runs! I was the last one to finish. I knew exactly what he was doing and he broke me!"

Pochettino's methods clearly work, however, with Spurs being one of the fittest sides in the Premier League and contesting for the title in the past two seasons.