Football: Mauricio Pochettino, "a fighter" on the bench of PSG
Mauricio Pochettino during the match against Arsenal at Wembley stadium in London on March 2, 2019. AP - Tim Ireland
Text by: Tom Rossi Follow
6 min
The Argentine technician was officially appointed coach of Paris Saint-Germain this Saturday, January 2, replacing Thomas Tuchel.
From Espanyol Barcelona to Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino has managed to impose his paw, without ever winning a trophy, but allowing his teams to achieve some memorable strokes.
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The sixth coach of the Qatar Sport Investments (QSI) era is a former member of the Parisian house.
Already, it's a small revolution: in a decade, Qatari investors have always chosen technicians who had never worn the jersey of PSG (Ancelotti, Blanc, Emery,
Tuchel
).
Mauricio Pochettino is therefore well known to Parisian supporters.
They saw the Argentine defender at work from 2001 to 2003.
Paris Saint-Germain are pleased to announce the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as coach.
The Argentine coach signed a contract until June 30, 2022, plus an optional year.
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) January 2, 2021
Eric Rabésandratana was his teammate at the time.
The consultant of Radio Foot Internationale remembers a player "
motivated, a fighter, determined to go to the end.
A great guy whose investment was total
”.
This is also why he is today an icon at Espanyol Barcelona where he played for almost ten years before launching his coaching career.
A disciple of Marcelo Bielsa
At the club in the suburbs of Barcelona, he became the most capped foreign player with more than 300 games played between 1994 and 2001 and between 2004 and 2006.
It was therefore with the "
Blanquiazules
" that he ended his playing career and began that of coach.
In January 2009, after six months at the head of the women's section, he responded to the sirens of the first team.
At just 37 years old, he begins his new life with the aim of keeping the team in La Liga.
He succeeds and enjoys the luxury of beating rival FC Barcelona at Camp Nou: a first for Espanyol for 27 years.
It is also at Camp Nou, against the "
Blaugranas
" that Mauricio Pochettino will experience his first big shock on the bench of PSG,
in the round of 16 of the Champions League
.
“
It is impossible for me to train Barça,
” he said in
Marca
.
It promises.
Mauricio Pochettino during a Copa del Rey match at Camp Nou, January 29, 2009. AP - Manu Fernandez
With in mind the principles of the game instilled by Marcelo Bielsa who brought him to Newell's Old Boys at 14, the thirty-something coach imposes his style in Catalonia: very high pressing to stifle the opponent and quickly recover the ball.
Apart from a good eighth place in 2010-2011, the Argentinian however obtains mixed results with an average team, and leaves the club in November 2012, after three years on the bench.
"
One of the best managers in the world
"
Less than two months later, Mauricio Pochettino discovers England.
He joined the poorly classified Southampton in January 2013. Under his orders, the Saints easily maintain themselves by beating Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
The following year, they had one of the best seasons in their history, finishing 8th, just behind Manchester United, with an average ball possession close to 60%.
That season, Southampton are the '
thrill
' side of the Premier League.
She plays matches of great intensity and pleasant to watch.
Something to catch the eye of Tottenham, an ambitious club that trusts this coach appreciated in England.
At the end of his first season in 2015, his team finished 5th and played in the League Cup final.
Together with Kane, Son, Eriksen and French goalkeeper Lloris, Tottenham is quickly becoming one of the best clubs in the Premier League.
The technician imposes his paw on Spurs, as he has done elsewhere before: “
Our style of play is to win the ball as soon as we lose it, he
explains in the
Guardian
.
Our lines are going up and we are doing all-terrain pressing.
When you lose the ball, you have to have this mentality of winning it back as quickly as possible.
It may seem like we run more, but we just run in a more organized fashion.
“The result, Tottenham supporters will not forget: runner-up to Chelsea in 2017, twice 3rd in 2016 and 2018 and
finalist in the Champions League in 2019.
Mauricio Pochettino happy after turning the situation around against Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League semi-final at the Johan Cruyff Arena on May 8, 2019. AP - Peter Dejong
Mauricio Pochettino, “
one of the best managers in the world
” according to Pep Guardiola, was nevertheless dismissed in November 2019 after a bad start to the season.
That summer, Tottenham had not signed any players and the Argentine had failed to find the levers to revive a team which seemed exhausted after its European run.
This time, it is he who is called to give new impetus to another finalist in the Champions League.
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