Pochettino's VERY eventful first month in charge of PSG
His first trophy EVER, negotiating with Neymar and a humbling loss against relegation-threatened Lorient: How Mauricio Pochettino’s rather eventful first month in charge of Paris Saint-Germain has unfolded
- It has been eventful first month in charge of PSG for Mauricio Pochettino
- Pochettino won his first trophy as a manager but also oversaw a loss to Lorient
- There has also been much work for the new PSG boss to attend to off the field
- There remain issues to address within his team and delicate situations to handle
Mauricio Pochettino has only been in charge of Paris Saint-Germain for a month, but his spell at the club so far has been hugely eventful.
Pochettino has overseen some significant results in both a positive and negative sense, while there have also been important events off the field.
With a Ligue 1 clash against basement boys Nimes looming next on Wednesday night, here’s a detailed look at how Pochettino has fared at PSG so far.
Mauricio Pochettino (centre) has had an eventful first month as boss of Paris Saint-Germain
Winning his first trophy
For all the praise that he received for his work at Tottenham, Pochettino’s inability to win a trophy at the club (and to a lesser extent at Southampton and Espanyol) was seen as something of a millstone.
That issue has finally been addressed, however, with Pochettino guiding PSG to glory in the Trophee des Champions, the French equivalent of the Community Shield.
PSG won 2-1 against Marseille, with Mauro Icardi scoring before Neymar converted a penalty. Dimitri Payet got a goal back for Marseille late on, but it mattered little, and Pochettino will hope that this will be the springboard to further success for both him and PSG.
Pochettino finally ended his wait for silverware as PSG won the Trophee des Champions, guiding PSG to a 2-1 win against Marseille, and will hope for further silverware
Loss to Lorient
While the victory against Marseille was a huge high, Pochettino has also experienced a major low, with PSG suffering a shock 3-2 defeat to relegation-threatened Lorient last weekend.
Neymar scored two penalties but PSG were still beaten as Pochettino suffered his first defeat as PSG manager.
Pochettino will be desperate to see a response against Rennes in PSG’s next game.
Pochettino was unable to prevent PSG from suffering a shock loss to Lorient last weekend
Handling superstars
At a high-profile club like PSG, keeping star players satisfied is of huge importance, especially in the cases of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Neymar has a reputation for missing matches around March 11, the date of his sister Rafaella Santos’ birthday.
Pochettino acknowledged the situation and hinted that he may be willing to give Neymar time off.
Speaking to El Larguero, Pochettino said: ‘When the time comes, we’ll see.
‘It’s important to be very good at tactics, but management is fundamental.
‘When I started coaching, I told myself that I was going to be inflexible and that I would not let anything go.
‘But after 12 years, I realise that I am more flexible each time and that I like to negotiate everything.
‘Today, the new generation like to give their opinions, to be listened to. Discussion must take precedence.
‘Nothing is won by imposing things. You have to discuss, negotiate.’
The PSG boss suggested he could be willing to give Neymar time off for his sister’s birthday
Pochettino also insisted that Mbappe is happy at PSG and is convinced that the striker will stay at the club for a long time to come.
One of the most coveted players in world football, Mbappe has been linked with Real Madrid, but Pochettino believes that the 22-year-old will remain at PSG.
Pochettino told Marca: ‘There’s lots of rumours, but I see him remaining at PSG for a long time to come and that’s what the club wants.
‘We have him in our plans for all the time that we’re going to be at the club.
‘Granted he needs to make a decision (on his future), but what we see is someone who is very happy here and fully committed to the sporting project at this club.’
In addition Pochettino stated that he believes Kylian Mbappe will remain at PSG for many years
Contracting Covid-19
Like many individuals involved in football, Pochettino has had to miss games after testing positive for Covid-19.
Pochettino subsequently had to isolate and wasn’t in the dugout as PSG took on Angers and Montpellier.
Even though Pochettino wasn’t in attendance, PSG still managed to win both fixtures.
Pochettino was absent from the dugout for two matches after testing positive for Covid-19
Tactics
During his short time in charge of PSG, Pochettino has demonstrated that he isn’t averse to switching formations.
In his first three games Pochettino opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with Mbappe playing on the left wing in the absence of Neymar, while Moise Kean was up front.
Then Pochettino moved to a 4-2-3-1 system with Neymar starting a a No 10 against Angers before Mbappe did so against Montpellier.
For the defeat to Lorient, Pochettino lined his side up in 4-4-2 formation as Neymar went out wide and Mbappe was deployed up front alongside Icardi.
It appears that Pochettino is still searching for the system that best suits his PSG side.
Moise Kean is just one of the many PSG forwards providing Pochettino with a conundrum
Overall
Pochettino’s time in charge of PSG so far hasn’t been without incident and it will be intriguing to see how the rest of the season plays out.
The 48-year-old has won four of his six games in charge so far and will hope that the loss to Lorient was merely a blip.
PSG have work to do if they are to retain the Ligue 1 title – they are three points behind leaders Lille, while they have an intriguing tie against Barcelona in the last-16 of the Champions League.
In addition, Pochettino will have another opportunity to win a trophy in the form of the Coupe de France, with PSG starting their campaign against Caen.
There are several opportunities for Pochettino to win further silverware with PSG this season
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