Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as the new football manager of Paris Saint Germain over a week after the French club sacked Thomas Tuchel. Now, the question is, can the Argentine tactician win PSG a UEFA Champions League title?
The prestigious European title is the only trophy a coach can win for PSG before the coach can be said to be outstanding. Since the club was established over 50 years ago, PSG has found it almost impossible to win the title despite the huge investment in the club.
Since the 2012-2013 season, PSG have been the sole winner of the French Ligue 1 title which means that all the coaches the club sacked from 2013 until the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, won the league title before they got their sack letter.
Thomas Tuchel made it even difficult for subsequent coaches of the club because he was the first coach at the club that took the team to the finals of the UEFA Champions League during the 2019-2020 season. Unfortunately for the German tactician, he narrowly lost to Bayern Munich.
Since qualifying for the finals of the Champions League has become the new height of the club, any coach that fall short of that at least in the coach’s first two seasons, such a coach might get the stick before his contract officially expires.
The good thing about Mauricio Pochettino is that he has been there. Recall that he took Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur to the finals of the competition during the 2017-2018 season but lost it to Liverpool. However, in the subsequent season, he struggled with the club and had to be sacked in the summer of 2019.
If he could do that with Tottenham which have a low budget and hardly sign big names footballers unlike PSG, the Argentine tactician could be in for a big party at the end of the 2020-2021 Champions League season.
From all indications, PSG decided to appoint Pochettino for what he was able to do at Tottenham in the 2017-2018 season even though he was not able to win any title for the London club before he was sacked. So, a replica of his run in the Champions League in the 2017-2018 season and adding the trophy to it at the end of this season, could earn him legendary status at PSG.
The pressure for the former Tottenham, Southampton, and Espanyol coach is that he has the opportunity to prove a point at Parc des Princes between now and June 2022 when his contract with PSG will expire. But there is no guarantee that he would stay at the club that long if he doesn’t do something outstanding before then.
Hence, Pochettino is expected to kick-off the new revolution at PSG on Sunday when he welcomes his players back from the winter break.
Despite how high the pressure attached to his appointment as PSG coach is, the 48-year-old Argentine tactician says he is happy to return to PSG which he played for between 2001 and 2003.
“I am really happy and honored to become the new coach of Paris Saint-Germain,” Pochettino said. “I would like to thank the club’s management for the trust they have placed in me.
“As you know, this club has always held a special place in my heart. I have wonderful memories, especially of the unique atmosphere of the Parc des Princes. I return to the club today with a lot of ambition and humility and am eager to work with some of the world’s most talented players.
“This team has fantastic potential and my staff and I will do everything we can to get the best for Paris Saint-Germain in all competitions. We will also do our utmost to give our team the combative and attacking playing identity that Parisian fans have always loved.”
🎙💬 “I’m very happy to be here, I think it’s an amazing opportunity, it’s an amazing project”
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 2, 2021
The first interview with our new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino!
🔴🔵 #AllezParis pic.twitter.com/Pm8o7AD8bA
The world is waiting to see whether
Mauricio Pochettino would be able to win the UEFA Champions League for PSG for the first time in the history of the club and in his career as a footballer and as a coach.
