Poch: Win big & now with PSG
MAURICIO POCHETTINO reckons working with his Paris Saint-Germain squad is a project like no other.
The former Tottenham boss has perhaps the most feared front three in football at his disposal in Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
But with that comes a pressure to win, and win big, that few managers in world football ever experience.
Pochettino, whose PSG visit the Etihad to face Pep Guardiola and Manchester City on Wednesday in the Champions League, said: “Take Liverpool. This is a club that recruited a coach, gave him the tools he wanted and gave him time.
“With Tottenham, we had always been in the fight, until the Champions League final, where you needed a winner.
“These are projects where there is time. At PSG, the project is to win, and to win now.
“Generally speaking, when you look at the talents, the names in this club, it has never existed in history, or maybe once.
“No one has the secret of how to manage, the training method or the philosophy of play for such a squad.
“So we have to adapt, in harmony with what the players are feeling.”
Expectations at PSG were already big before Pochettino arrived. His predecessor, Thomas Tuchel, had been sacked just seven months after leading them to their first Champions League final and on the back of a 4-0 victory over Strasbourg.
In the summer the club pulled off the coup of signing Messi. Pochettino added: “The expectations which arose this summer mean that before you even start a game, you have to win and win 5-0.
“And if after 10 minutes of play you don’t already lead 3-0, pfff … disappointment.
“That’s forgetting the opponents also have qualities.”