When the United States appointed Mauricio Pochettino as their head coach of the men’s team last September, it was seen as a major statement of intent from one of the 2026 World Cup co-hosts 19 months out from the start of the tournament.
Having spent the past decade managing Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, Pochettino is the most high-profile hire in the history of the US men’s national team.
Less than a year from his departure from Chelsea, a relaxed and refreshed Pochettino was back in west London holding court with the UK press in a plush hotel suite, flanked by his long-term assistant Jesus Perez and the USMNT’s director of communications.
During a 45-minute interview, the Argentine defended his Chelsea record, discussed previous links to the England job and the possibility of managing Tottenham again in the future, and explained why a conversation between Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino “disappointed” him.
Infantino’s Trump meeting
The political landscape in the US has shifted immeasurably in the six months since Pochettino accepted the USMNT job, with Trump beginning his second term in January.
Earlier this month, Trump met with Infantino in the Oval Office following the creation of a task force to ensure the country’s readiness for one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
During a press conference, Trump turned to Infantino and asked: “So, can the US win [the World Cup]?” To which the Fifa president responded (somewhat optimistically), “The US can win, yes. There is a shot, absolutely.”
Pochettino said: “I was listening to a conversation between our President Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino. The president asked: ‘can we win the World Cup?’
“And Gianni said yes. But I was disappointed with this answer. He should say: ‘You need to ask your great coach, Pochettino! Because for sure, he can give a better opinion!’
“The pressure is going to be there because we are a host. And it’s a country where the mentality is about winning. You know in sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. That is the culture.
“Of course, it’s going to be a pressure. But a welcome one. That means that we are going to feel the adrenaline that we need to feel.”
USA can ‘dominate soccer in five years’
Pochettino signed a two-year contract which expires just after the World Cup and he reiterated that he plans to return to club management after his current role.
Unless an extension is agreed down the line, Pochettino’s stint is set to brief. Nevertheless, he is convinced that the future of US soccer is bright.
“Soccer is growing but still we need more,” he said. “I think we can dominate soccer, football, maybe in 10 or 15 years’ time. Or maybe less. Five or seven. The potential is massive.”
According to Pochettino, the popularity of US soccer is growing, but he has already faced unique challenges during his short time managing the country.
“The culture is different, it’s how we adapt to them, it’s not for them to adapt to us,” he said.
“It’s so exciting and priceless to know the background of the different players. We have one player who didn’t play soccer until he was 12. He was playing another sport and then because he wasn’t good he moved to soccer!”
Developing a ‘golden generation’
Pochettino’s predecessor Gregg Berhalter paid the price for the USA’s poor showings at recent tournaments; they lost to Panama on penalties in the semi-final of the 2023 Gold Cup and crashed out of the group stage of last year’s Copa America after defeats to Panama (again) and Uruguay.
More is expected of a “golden generation” who may start to peak by the time the World Cup starts. Antonee Robinson (Fulham) will be 28; Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth) and Weston McKennie (Juventus) will all be 27; Timothy Weah, son of George, will be 26.
Younger prospects Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Tanner Tessman (Lyon), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis) and Yunus Musah (AC Milan), all play for big clubs in major European leagues.
“We have a mix [of experience]. We love to build something like this, to try to create our team,” Pochettino said.
“We need to know the [players] and that is why we are now building a different squad. We are calling players that we didn’t see [in previous camps].
“Gio Reyna [is] a talented player but has been injured and not playing too much at Dortmund. We really believe in him because the talent of the player is there so we see if he can recover.”
The ‘right time’ for national team job
Pochettino revealed that he hadn’t discussed the nuances of international management with his mentor and current Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa, but did speak with Gerardo “Tata” Martino, the former Paraguay, Argentina and Mexico coach.
Compared to club football, it is practically a different sport, with managers having only a brief window to work with their players, as opposed to a full season.
“We have one disadvantage and one advantage. The disadvantage is that you don’t have time, the advantage is that the players are so focused. It is completely different the focus, the discipline and energy they apply when they come.”
Although Pochettino’s preference remains to play aggressive front-foot football, he acknowledged that the US will need to be adaptable if and when they face the world’s best.
“I was talking in Qatar with Arsene Wenger with Jesus in a charity game and he said to me something – and we agreed – that today it is easy [for a manager] to say ‘oh, that is my philosophy’. Your philosophy? That isn’t the way that I want to play.
“In the end, you have to have different plans depending on the circumstances of the team.”
Learning from US sports
Pochettino has already taken in some live sport Stateside, watching the NBA’s Orlando Magic from courtside seats, as well as the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams in the SoFi Stadium which will host matches at the World Cup.
“Of course, other people can learn from our sport and we can learn [from them]. We love to share. But I think always you need to share and you need to try to find things that you can adapt to soccer, to football,” he said.
“We are going to try to help prepare the players to shoot penalties, to focus and to concentrate. It doesn’t mean we are going to win on penalties but there are clever people outside of football who are working and trying to help.
“That is when we need to go and see – when other sports are using different technology – that maybe we can translate into our environment and to football.”
Does he understand the rules of the NFL? “In general, I understand, but the details… I need to ask!”
Managing England would be ‘complicated’
Pochettino was frequently mentioned as a potential England manager of the future, in no small part due to his track record for developing young English talent, from Luke Shaw at Southampton, to Harry Kane and Dele Alli at Tottenham, to Cole Palmer at Chelsea.
His “very good” relationship with the FA’s technical director John McDermott from their Spurs days, also fuelled speculation that one day he could lead the Three Lions out at Wembley.
“Yes of course,” he said when asked whether he would have considered an approach from the FA. “England is like my home now, this is my home. But it’s true that I am Argentine, always [that] can be controversial.”
In 1982, Argentina and the United Kingdom went to war over ownership of the Falkland Islands which claimed the lives of over 900 people from both sides.
“I was never put in that position [to decide],” he added.
“But I love England. I know the relationship between the people in England, English citizens and Argentine citizens is very good. Because we have very good things that link [us].
“But for sure, the history is there. And always [that] can be controversial, an Argentine guy defending the flag of England. I think it’s completely different to being here in the Premier League, involved in a club. But because it never happened, it’s not a situation that we need to analyse.”
A warning for Tuchel
Pochettino is still a novice on the international stage but with six games under his belt (five wins, one defeat) he is more experienced than England’s new boss Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel takes charge of his first fixtures this week, with England hosting Albania and Latvia in World Cup qualifiers.
“Thomas is a winner and the challenge is to win,” he said.
“For sure, there is going to be pressure because you are [in charge of] one of the best national teams in the world but he has experience and is a great coach.
“He is in a similar position where he is discovering things and he will learn because he is in a completely different world, being [the] coach of the national team.”
Chelsea progression ‘was massive’
After a tricky start at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino steered Chelsea to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League in his only season at the club, marking a jump of six places in the table from the previous campaign.
“The team in the beginning suffered many, many problems, and even then we were performing well without getting the results we wanted,” Pochettino said. “In the end, we were doing really, really well. If you see the table in the last six months you can see the progression was massive.
“We became a team fighting for the top four and that was a good thing to keep going in the season after. We are very grateful to Chelsea because it gave us the opportunity to be involved in a project where as a coaching staff we learned a lot.”
Guardiola is a ‘real manager now’
One of the most intriguing sub-plots of the Premier League season has been the staggering decline of Manchester City. The reigning champions trail leaders Liverpool by 22 points and are in a fight just to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
“I am 100 per cent convinced [Pep] Guardiola today is a much, much better coach – and it is difficult for him to be a better coach – because he is suffering things that sometimes we suffered in the beginning,” Pochettino said. “He is a real manager now!”
Unfinished business with Spurs
Although Pochettino won three trophies in an 18-month spell with PSG, he is best known for his five and a half years at Tottenham which yielded no winners’ medals and only runners-up finishes in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Pochettino has previously spoken of having “unfinished business” with the north London club and repeated that position once more.
“In the bottom of my heart, I still feel the same,” he said.
“I would like one day to come back. Not because of my ego it’s because my feeling is I would like one day to win with Tottenham. We were so close and it was so painful.
“It’s like when a relationship finishes. I felt empty. I felt so disappointed with everyone but also with myself because I didn’t manage well and when that happens it’s part of my responsibility.
“I think now, Tottenham is a club with an expectation to win because if you see the facilities – training ground and stadium – now you can see it is about winning trophies. That is why I would like one day to come back. But if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.
“It’s six years since we left and it’s always going to be a special club for me.”
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/Konc70G
Post a Comment
EmoticonClick to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.