Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a peaceful time at Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks, but with the return of Champions League and the first leg round of 16 against Real Madrid on Tuesday, it was time for the former Tottenham manager to deal with the turbulence ahead.
There’s no escaping the fact that Pochettino’s reign as PSG manager will be defined by what happens in the box office match against Madrid. If PSG can get rid of Carlo Ancelotti LaLiga leaders, it will instill confidence at the Parc des Princes that the club’s host of superstars – including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar – could finally go all the way and win the Champions League this season, while allowing Pochettino to control his own destiny.
But if PSG are knocked out in the first knockout round, whatever the pedigree of their opponents, Pochettino will know that his days at the club will be judged. Failure in Europe’s biggest club competition is simply unacceptable to PSG’s demanding bosses. Just ask Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked as manager less than six months after leading the club to their first Champions League final of 2020 – a 0-1 defeat before Bayern Munich.
The chaos of PSG is often enough to make any coach realize the challenge of working under intense pressure while simultaneously trying to mold their stars into an efficient team, but Pochettino also has to deal with constant speculation. he returned to the Premier League as Manchester Unitedthe manager is usually directly followed by.
Sources close to Pochettino have told ESPN A move to Old Trafford appeals to the Argentinian, who is fully aware that coaching PSG can never be seen as a long-term project. But while there is a high chance of taking over from caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick at United this summer, he has a contract in Paris until the end of the 2022-23 season and has more opportunities now to do so. won the biggest title with the French Champions than he did at United.
And, as reported by ESPN last ThursdayUnited’s list of potential new managers goes beyond Pochettino, with Spain Ajax coaches Luis Enrique and Erik ten Hag are also under consideration.
– Daily ESPN FC live stream on ESPN+ (US only)
– No ESPN? Instant access
So the road ahead for Pochettino is a confusing one. There will never be any official work at PSG, but the obvious path could be taken by someone else, so the only way to deal with his situation is to keep winning in Paris. and hope that any success along the way can help him decide what happens next, instead of letting his fate slip through his fingers through failure.
Despite going through four wins in Ligue 1 have PSG 13 points ahead of the second ranked team MarseillePochettino’s side go into a draw with Madrid with question marks hovering over their ability to win when it really counts in the Champions League.
Will PSG have enough testing in France to be able to step into the kind of game awaited by Real Madrid? Is Lionel Messi still capable of deciding a big game at the age of 34, given the former Barcelona The striker has only scored seven goals in 20 games for PSG? And can Pochettino rely on Neymar, 30, now training again from an ankle injury from November, to shine when the club need him most?
PSG’s 2-1 loss at City of Manchester in the group stage last November gave the biggest clue to all of those questions, with Premier League dominant team at Etihad. Although Mbappe scored the opener for a sporadic PSG, it was not a true reflection of the game, as Man City controlled the game and Pochettino had to deal with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe often leaving seven. Their off-court team does the majority of the defensive duties.
That defeat shows that Pochettino has yet to grasp his stellar squad or the unique challenges of having to make it into a team. Madrid will pose PSG the same problems as Man City did in November, so Pochettino must find a way to get his players to step up.
But while it is expected that PSG can falter against Madrid and leave Pochettino to wait for the inevitable push towards the exit door, the whole picture will change if they can beat the Western giants. Spain.
If that happens and PSG gain momentum, a move to United could start to lose its appeal for Pochettino as Champions League success could also open up better opportunities for the 49-year-old. So there is a lot of risk for Pochettino, PSG and United in the next 180 minutes against Madrid.
