World Soccer - UK (2021-03)

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

WHAT IS MAURICIO POCHETTINO’S

TOP PRIORITY?

Above all, the former Spurs boss will be

looking to give the Parisians a durable,

well-defined playing style, something

which his predecessor generally failed

to implement in his two and a half years

in charge. For all PSG’s success last

season – a domestic Treble plus a

Champions League final – they tended

to be football chameleons, changing

shape, organisation and philosophy from

week to week. More often than not, it

seemed that the Tuchel project was a

trial by error treadmill.

Pochettino, who played in central

defence for PSG between 2001 and

2003, quickly needs to come up with a

solid collective system that does not

solely rely on the brilliance of attacking

superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

In a mission statement on the club’s

website, Pochettino promised to play

“combative, attacking football”.

Secondly, Pochettino must assert his

authority. Compared to a relatively

serene dressing-room at Tottenham,

PSG are awash with big egos. The new

coachwillhavetobeonhistoesto

maintain order, unity and focus. One of

Tuchel’s most significant mistakes was to

cede too much latitude to the team’s

senators, more or less allowing them to

manage themselves. Pochettino is

unlikely to be so laissez-faire. Tellingly,

he laid down the law in his first PSG

training session, informing his new

charges that he wanted less noise and

more application: “Stop talking guys.

This is a training session.”

Ultimately, much will depend on the

sort of relationship he builds with main

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEKnockout stage

man Neymar, who as well as being a

match-winner par excellence, also has a

flair for fomenting trouble with his

capricious excesses.

Fitness and conditioning is another

problem area. Towards the end of last

year, the Parisians appeared out on their

Question time

feet, while it is common knowledge that

the doctors at PSG are more than a

little worried about Mbappe’s current

tendency for muscular ailments, so

much so that they warned Tuchel

against starting him too often. A remedy

also needs to be found for the repeated

In-form...PSG finish

top of their group

PSG are awash with big egos. The

new coach will have to be on his toes

to maintain order, unity and focus