Mauricio Pochettino is beginning to discuss his time at Paris Saint-Germain and the Argentine manager recently spoke in-depth with the Spanish media outlet Relevo.
Pochettino discussed the challenges of managing three-star players in, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr., who need the ball and are used to being the go-to guy in specific situations, such as taking penalty kicks.
“You need to constantly adapt because there was too much greatness,” Pochettino said. “For Barça to have Messi or for Madrid to have Cristiano is a blessing. But when you bring in too many players who all need his place and be number one, there can be confusion.
“In the end, when you play, there are 11 players with only one ball. There was a penalty, and who takes it? It is not even a decision of the coach.”
Last season, it never appeared as though the Argentine boss could never get all three players going, which Christophe Galtier has done since taking over for Pochettino this summer.
Under Galtier, Messi is back to playing his form that many saw while at FC Barcelona; meanwhile, Neymar hit the ground running this 2022-23 season and Mbappe continues to play at a top level too.
Furthermore, Pochettino also spoke about his experience at PSG, where it was the first time in his career he was in a job where the demand to win trophies was high.
At Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino didn’t have the expectations that he encountered at PSG, so the 50-year-old explained what that experience was like in the French capital.
“It was the experience that we needed, that of living with great stars and interacting in the football attic,” Pochettino added. “It was the challenge of putting yourself in a difficult situation and trying to make such a special club work.”
