Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino is opening up a bit on his preparations for the upcoming UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg showdown against FC Barcelona.
Before coming on as manager of PSG, Pochettino spent a year hiatus away from the sport following his departure from Tottenham. Over this time period, the Argentine manager remained a football fan and regularly watched a multitude of matches. This habit has not gone away for Pochettino; he recently spoke about even watching clubs such as West Ham and Real Valladolid.
Now, the biggest team on his radar is Barcelona. PSG and Barca are set for the heavyweight tie of the Champions League Round of 16 with the first leg being played next week.
As he touched upon in speaking to the Spanish-based outlet Onda Cero’s El Transistor,(via Marca), the Argentine has been watching Barca matches as of late, and to not much of a surprise, Lionel Messi has been his standout player.
“I have been watching all the teams for more than a year, so yes, I have studied Barça,” Pochettino said. “Messi is a machine, a competitive animal.”
As of late, aspiring Barca club presidents have criticized some PSG-affiliated persons for their comments regarding Messi’s upcoming free agency period. Pochettino recognizes how careful one must be when talking about a player from another team.
“I understand that you should talk as little as possible about a player who is not on your team but not only PSG, all teams carry out their transfer strategies and there are players who end their contract,” Pochettino said.
Messi’s upcoming free agency period could make for a drama-filled summer transfer window.
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