Mauricio Pochettino, “a fighter” on the bench of PSG

Published on : 02/01/2021 – 16:38

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 PSG jersey (Ancelotti, Blanc, Emery, Tuchel). Mauricio Pochettino is therefore well known to Parisian supporters. They saw the Argentine defender at work from 2001 to 2003.

Eric Rabésandratana was his teammate at the time. The consultant of Radio Foot Internationale remembers a player ” motivated, a fighter, determined to see it through. 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 is therefore among the ” Blue and white »That he ends his playing career and begins that of a 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, facing the ” Blaugranas »That Mauricio Pochettino will experience his first big shock on the PSG bench, in the round of 16 of the Champions League. « It is impossible for me to coach Barça », He had declared in Brand. It promises.

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 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 the 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: Chelsea runner-up in 2017, twice 3rd in 2016 and 2018 and Champions League finalist in 2019.

Mauricio Pochettino, « one of the best managers in the world “According to Pep Guardiola, is 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.