Unhappy Poch has no love of squad
SUCH is the depth of quality at Mauricio Pochettino’s disposal at Paris St-Germain that his bench here last night oozed as much class as his starting line-up.
Forget Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, Pochettino’s subs included Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti, Mauro Icardi and Georginio Wijnaldum.
With such a formidable array of talent, why would he want to give up the chance to work with one of Europe’s most formidable squads?
Quite simply, the lure of the Premier League. More specifically, Manchester United. Pochettino is the man United want to lead them long-term, but they will have to wait until the summer for him.
He may be unsettled in Paris and keen to get away, but PSG’s reluctance to let him go for another six or seven months will at least afford him the chance to enhance his managerial CV.
The French Cup and Trophee des Champions are the only honours to Pochettino’s name, although the French league is a formality this season with PSG 11 points clear at the top.
The Champions League is the major challenge for Pochettino, with PSG’s owners desperate to rule Europe having reached the semi-finals last season and the final the year before.
If this game amounted to something of an audition for the United job for the ex-Spurs boss, in the city where he is expected to be managing next season, it proved a testing one for him.
Pochettino is said to be struggling to manage the fragile egos within his elite squad, in particular Neymar.
With the front three of the Brazilian, Messi and Mbappe unwilling to track back and help out the rest of the team, City were able to apply relentless pressure.
Pochettino’s Tottenham side, which broke into the top four and reached a Champions League final, worked tirelessly for him.
Failure to conquer Europe this season could see him jettisoned by PSG next summer, leaving him free to join United.