Mauricio Pochettino took over the Paris Saint-Germain managerial position in January after the club sacked Thomas Tuchel. The Argentine tactician led the capital club to a UEFA Champions League Semi-Final appearance before falling to Manchester City.
The French giants did fall short of securing the Ligue 1 trophy as Lille OSC won the league in 2020-21. It’s only been a matter of days since the season ended, and various rumors regarding the future of Pochettino are beginning to surface.
Reports from The Athletic and TF1 suggest that Pochettino is in talks with Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy and that the manager isn’t a fan of the politics that take place behind the scenes with the French giants.
RMC Sport did reveal that Les Parisiens aren’t worried about Pochettino departing. The Argentine manager spoke to PSG’s official website to reflect on the season.
One of the first questions that Pochettino answered is discussing connect with the squad. Arriving in January, the 49-year-old had to jump on a moving train.
“Well, the first thing was to create a good relationship, to be accepted into the club, in the middle of the season, to get on a bandwagon. It’s always a big challenge. It was the first thing to do. From there, we got to know each other in the most natural, spontaneous way possible,” Pochettino said.
“I think the first approach went well and I think we generated a good spirit of work, energy and between all the club staff, with us, with all the players, I think we worked, worked in a good way and most importantly, we have achieved some goals, we have not been able to achieve them all, but I think we have laid a good foundation.”
Pochettino then touched on connecting with each player personally, and the Argentine tactician revealed that it didn’t take him that long to have that bond with the players.
“You know, it doesn’t take a long time to get to know a person. Nowadays, the footballer immediately captures the bottom of a person. You can hang out for ten years and not create a bond. And in a short time, you can create a great connection,” Pochettino said.
“It is clear that we, as a coaching team, received affection from everyone when we arrived, and through our way of being, spontaneous and natural relationships were created, and it leads to those types of moments.”
Finally, Pochettino reflected on his first few months as the PSG manager.
“I’m happy with the way the players have adapted to the changes. We could not change many things or which could not be developed for lack of time. But I still think that with this way of working, and with the desire to be able to develop other types of ideas on the ground, we will do great things in the future,” Pochettino said.
“I am, of course, proud of the efforts of the team because we are the only ones who know what condition the team was in and what we were capable of; I am happy with everything we have done to stay alive until the last days in all competitions. Win the Champions Trophy, win the Coupe de France, reach the semi-final of the Champions League without being in your best shape, and fight until the last match with the possibility of winning the championship. I think that given the conditions in which we arrived in January, you have to be proud of everything and of all the people who took part in this course.”
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