Mauricio Pochettino has discussed the difficulties of leading multiple superstars while at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mauricio Pochettino, the former manager of Paris Saint-Germain, had a difficult time in the French capital, and after being eliminated by Real Madrid in sad circumstances in the Champions League, things could only go one way. The Argentine seems to believe that the French champions‘ star strength is overmuch.
According to the former Tottenham boss. Mauricio Pochettino, having players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar on the same team was not always a good thing. The Argentine even admitted that when a club is loaded with “number one players,” there are possible means of complications.
Pochettino acknowledged in an in-depth interview with Relevo that he sought out expertise in managing star players and competing at the highest level of football. He also had very positive memories of his time at Spurs, which stood out for having a much more balanced roster of major stars.
But when questioned about running a dressing room packed with the best players in the world, Pochettino said it was a really difficult job.
Pochettino added, “It [PSG] was the experience we needed, the experience of connecting at the top level of football and living with huge names. “It was the challenge of attempting to make such a unique club operate in a challenging scenario. There was too much greatness, so you have to continually adjust.
“Having Messi for Barcelona or Cristiano for Madrid is a blessing. There may be confusion, though, if there are too many players present who are competing for the top spot. When you play, there are 11 players and one ball. Who pays the penalty that was imposed? Not even the coach makes the choice.”
The 50-year-old used PSG’s goalie dilemma to succinctly summarize these difficulties: Keylor Navas and Gianluigi Donnarumma, two number-one players, are in the same position for PSG.
Despite the relationship between Pochettino and PSG not working out, the team was still able to win the Ligue one championship last season, just before their former head coach was fired.
After Thomas Tuchel was fired, Pochettino was appointed PSG manager in January 2021.
He held the position for barely one and a half years before he was fired. Although the Argentine had won every domestic league available (Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions), Christophe Galtier took his spot in July 2022.
He believes that the team needed to be more evenly distributed, but he was also delighted to have Lionel Messi join the team.
The issue of managing egos and reputations on the side was surely made more difficult by the addition of Messi to Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Junior.
However, the success of the French powerhouses will always be determined by how they fare in the Champions League, and new manager Christophe Galtier will be expecting to produce the greatest performance possible from his team in Europe.
Pochettino has been without a club since July, and he is still hunting for work in the French city. Earlier this season, Chelsea and Aston Villa were rumored to be interested in the 50-year-old, but no actual deal took place.
