Mauricio Pochettino to Man Utd gathers steam, but PSG stint is damaging the head coach’s reputation – Inside Europe
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Updated 03/02/2022 at 12:01 GMT
Reports in England suggest Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino is edging closer to a summer move to Manchester United, but what is the view from France after PSG’s cup defeat to Nice? Eurosport France’s Cyril Morin gives us the lowdown, and explains why the Argentine is not the only man who could lose his job at PSG.
Inside Europe: Mauricio Pochettino
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Talk of Mauricio Pochettino moving to Manchester United in the summer is gathering steam, but his reputation is deteriorating at Paris Saint-Germain after a damaging loss this week.
PSG suffered a last-16 defeat to Nice in the Coupe de France on Monday, marking the first time for seven years where the club have not reached the final.
They do at least have a healthy lead in Ligue 1, an 11-point advantage over Nice, but a daunting Champions League match-up awaits – against Real Madrid in the last 16.
The two legs against Real fall on February 15 and March 9, and while reports suggest Pochettino will leave PSG this summer – an early exit in Europe could speed up that departure.
Eurosport France’s Cyril Morin believes there are only two possibilities where that might happen, while Pochettino is not the only figure at PSG who could be out of a role soon…
Monday’s defeat to Nice - Poch’s most damaging loss at PSG?
That might be the worst for him so far, but it wasn’t exactly a huge surprise.
This entire season will be judged around the Champions League, but domestically this PSG side might be the worst one under Qatar Sports Investments’ ownership.
Yes they lead Ligue 1, but they have no shape, no obvious tactics, while players are struggling to reach the level many expect of them – Lionel Messi first and foremost.
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Messi
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The loss to Nice is historically a big deal for PSG. Opta highlighted this is the first year since 2014 they have not reached the Coupe de France final, while that was the first cup match since 2011 where they haven’t scored.
That affects Pochettino’s reputation – but worse might come sooner.
Will Poch go if they lose to Real Madrid?
I don’t think so. Or, at least, PSG won’t take this decision because they won’t have anyone solid to replace him. Only two possibilities for him leaving PSG would at this stage would really exist:
- Pochettino goes by himself – which is hard to imagine
- If the defeat is so bad, the club cannot pretend that nothing has happened
In my opinion, it’s clear that Pochettino's adventure at PSG will end this summer, everything points in this direction. But, as mentioned before, if PSG failed again in Champions League, it might bring a bigger change in the club.
Is Poch's relationship with Leonardo getting worse? Was it ever a good relationship?
It’s not as fraught as it was with Thomas Tuchel at the end of his time here.
Pochettino puts on a good front when speaking to the media, always in PSG’s corner, saying he agrees with Leonardo on transfers and being a very polite and correct coach politically speaking.
Regarding Leonardo, it’s not really a Pochettino problem. You have to remember that Carlo Ancelotti already left because of Leonardo’s way of doing things.
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Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe (L) salutes PSG's Brazilian sporting director Leonardo (C) next to president Nasser Al-Khelaifi as he arrives for a training session at the club's Camp des Loges training ground
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So Pochettino is like all the others - he just has to accept that the power is not in the hands of the PSG coach.
It's interesting to notice that this summer, if Pochettino leaves, the future of Leonardo is also in the balance. As many French media have reported, someone like Zinedine Zidane doesn't want to work under Leonardo and wants full freedom. So, Leonardo’s future isn’t clear for the moment.
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