Fran Alonso: How Mauricio Pochettino and Koeman guided Lewes Women boss

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been labelled as a disciple of Leeds' Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, while Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman was once a student of the great Johan Cruyff.

But the two former Southampton managers now seemingly have a follower of their own.

Lewes Women boss Fran Alonso describes his years alongside the pair in the Premier League as "like being at the best university in the world", having initially worked under Pochettino at Saints, before moving with Koeman to Everton.

And the 42-year-old Spaniard now wants to spread a message of equality throughout the football community by coaching at Lewes, where the men's and women's teams operate on the same budget.

Speaking before his new side's Women's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Millwall Lionessess on Sunday, Alonso told BBC Sport: "I am a football manager because I believe I came into this world to try to change as many lives as possible in a positive manner.

"At Lewes, I can do this on a much higher scale because it can impact on people socially as well, sending a powerful message."

Alonso, who has also worked as Liverpool Feds Ladies' boss and Southampton Women's technical director, translated for Pochettino when he first arrived at St Mary's in 2013.

"Mauricio is now one of the top managers in the world, nobody doubts it, and Ronald is doing a fantastic job with the Dutch national team with young players coming through," he continued. "I tried to learn as much as I can from them."

So what did the Sussex club's boss absorb from his years with the men he describes as two of world football's "top" coaches?

"I like us to press very high and very aggressive - that's something that Mauricio has been doing for many years and he is very, very good at it," he said.

"But I am obsessed about our positional play. With Ronald, who I worked with for three and a half years, that's the way he won, with the positional game. I was very impressed when I saw Ronald do this.

"I have applied it myself with positional-based exercises. I want the team to be very comfortable in possession, letting the ball do the work. I care more about their speed of thought than the speed of their legs.

"I was lucky enough to be translating for Mauricio when he first arrived and I was involved in his one-on-one meetings.

"In those meetings, I could see somebody who was excellent in managing situations, taking players with no confidence and turning them in to unbelievable players."

After the Argentine's switch from Saints to Tottenham in May 2014, Alonso stayed in Hampshire to work under his replacement Koeman, before moving with the Dutchman to Goodison Park in 2016.

Alonso was later part of Sam Allardyce's Toffees backroom staff in 2017-18, but after the former England boss' sacking last May, he was not kept on by replacement Marco Silva.

That allowed Alonso to pursue a managerial career of his own, and he stresses that Lewes' philosophy of equal pay attracted him to the part-time outfit.

"That was a key factor. Every club in the world aims to win things but there are not many clubs that have a huge off-field message about why their club exists," he added.

"Some of our fans had never been to football before, but they come here because they are proud of what we represent, with the same opportunities, same budget, and the same stadium for men and women.

"Hopefully, in a few years, there will be more clubs that do the same, and our message becomes stronger."

On the field, Lewes are ninth in the 11-team Women's Championship, with three wins from their 14 league games this term.

Since Alonso's arrival at their Dripping Pan home last month, they have lost both their matches, but they cannot go down, as relegation from the second tier was temporarily scrapped this term, as part of the Football Association's restructuring of the English women's leagues.

"We are trying to implement a playing style which I would say is the opposite of what they have been doing for the past two and a half years," Alonso explained.

"We are safe - we cannot be relegated this year - so we have plenty of freedom to just practise our playing style, which you'll see next season. But confidence will only come with results.

"The girls are improving and they all feel they are better players, but we're not there yet. It's not fluid yet, because it's only been a month. It takes time."

Asked what differences he has witnessed in the women's game, compared to life coaching in the men's Premier League, Alonso replied: "It's the same sport but it is a totally different game.

"Just to give you a specific example, the size of the goal is the same but the average height of a men's goalkeeper is so much higher than the average height of a female goalkeeper.

"Therefore, in the women's game, the shooting distance is totally different and you will see more goals from 35 yards, which in the men's game is very difficult to see.

"Technically, there is no difference. There is difference in physicality, obviously, because of biology. I've always been volunteering in the women's game and I'm very passionate about the women's game."

His side will aim for their first win of 2019 when they travel to bottom-of-the-table Millwall in the cup on Sunday, as clubs from the Women's Super League and Championship enter in the fourth round.

"For Millwall, they've been doing better and better, they've become stronger and stronger," he continued.

"This is a game that can make their season amazing because they are not going to get relegated even if they finish bottom.

"For us, it's the same. The FA Cup is about winning. This one is not about developing - this one is about winning. For us, it's like a final. Hopefully we can give our fans something to cheer."

Following Saturday and Sunday's ties, the draw for the fifth round will be broadcast live on the BBC News Channel during Sportsday from 18:30 GMT on Monday.