When Mauricio Pochettino, the player, left Paris Saint-Germain in 2003, one of his main motivations was to explore the wine regions of Bordeaux.
The incentives which now look to have drawn him back to the French capital as a manager are obvious. A blank cheque book and the chance to win the silverware which ultimately eluded him at Tottenham have finally presented themselves.
It’s now 13 months since he was sacked by Spurs, a move which seemed cutthroat at the time but probably pales in comparison to Thomas Tuchel’s apparent dismissal on Christmas Eve.
The Argentine’s admirers on this side of the Channel will be fascinated to see how he manages a dressing room featuring the big personalities of Neymar and Mauro Icardi. Yet perhaps the more pressing point concerns… well, pressing.
PSG’s stars – including the aforementioned duo, but also the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria – may fall short when it comes to the kind of high-energy pressure Pochettino demands of his players all over the pitch, but he did adapt his approach in his last 18 months in north London.
In any case, he used his recent Monday Night Football appearance to praise Dele Alli’s “charisma” and one can only imagine he will relish the chance to coach players with the panache of Neymar and the youthful effervescence of Mbappe.
Tottenham is an obvious place for him to look as he begins rebuilding, though Tuchel’s most serious problems – and those which ultimately seem to have spelled the end of his time at Parc des Princes – lay off the field.
Where did it all go wrong for Tuchel?
The German’s strained relationship with sporting director Leonardo had become so tense that he was always expected to leave when his contract expired at the end of the season. The fact he has not even lasted that long is not due to results; the Parisians are just one point off the summit following the 4-0 win over Strasbourg and topped Group H in the Champions League.
Instead, his departure speaks of his decision to publicly criticise Leonardo for allowing too many players to leave the club for free. He also had to clarify comments when he was quoted on the day of the victory against Strasbourg – he insists erroneously – as saying he felt more like “a sports politician or sports minister than a coach”.
Had Tuchel won the Champions League, it might have been different. Defeat to Bayern Munich in August’s final spelled the end of that ambition and a third successive Ligue 1 title – after a season in which they didn’t lose a league game after November – did not mask the board’s disappointment.
Pochettino would do very well to put those European shortcomings right, but in the short term, he would surely look to start putting his own stamp on PSG.
What has he left behind for his successor?
The job is not quite the enviable task it once was. There is persistent uncertainty over Neymar and Mbappe’s futures, while defensively the loss of Thiago Silva to Chelsea has been felt.
PSG have already lost four league games this season – more than in the whole of the 2019-20 campaign – and have failed to keep a clean sheet in 42% of their games so far.
Pochettino’s discipline would be an asset, not least because of the number of cards they receive. His double training sessions were notorious at Southampton and Spurs – and were sometimes used as a stick with which to beat him, just like his mentor Marcelo Bielsa – when his side’s seasons fizzled out.
Indeed, durability will be a big question hanging over the Pochettino era. The 48-year-old has always seemed best suited to long-term projects, hence doubts about whether he would have been the right man to deliver a quick fix at Manchester United.
PSG’s Qatari backing means he will not be short of funds if he does take charge, notwithstanding the financial problems facing French football clubs in light of the collapsed TV deal involving Mediapro.
Pochettino’s wish list
Dele Alli – The playmaker’s relationship with Jose Mourinho hit a new low when the Portuguese blamed his flick for conceding possession in the build-up to Stoke’s equaliser during Tottenham’s 3-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win.
That flamboyance to Alli’s game was always encouraged, not chastised, under Mourinho’s predecessor. Even without Pochettino in charge, the 24-year-old had been linked with a loan move to PSG having started just one league game all season.
Christian Eriksen – The Danish international has officially been transfer listed by Inter Milan after a nightmare year and just 25 appearances for the Nerazzurri. Pochettino oversaw the best years of Eriksen’s career.
While the midfielder’s refusal to sign a contract extension contributed to the toxicity which overshadowed the last year of their time together, in happier times he is one of the best playmakers in Europe when it comes to linking the midfield and attack.
Jan Oblak – Keylor Navas is now 34 and PSG have repeatedly turned to ageing ‘keepers in recent years, as they did with Gianluigi Buffon.
However, The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that the French champions are targeting Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak in the hope that he will be tempted by the chance to win regular trophies.
Lionel Messi?! – Neymar recently sent the rumour mill into overdrive by hinting he would be playing with Lionel Messi again in the near future. With Barcelona in dire straits financially, that was interpreted as a suggestion that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner could join his former teammate in Paris when his contract expires in June.
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