Mauricio Pochettino, as many others found, could not satisfy the Paris Saint-Germain board with purely domestic success. The Argentine was sacked in the summer and returns to the market following a tricky spell at the Parc des Princes.
Speaking to Relevo, during an in-depth interview, Pochettino opened up on his career so far and spoke very highly of his spell at Spurs, lasting for five years between 2014 and 2019, as well as encompassing numerous top four finishes and a Champions League final. He described it as the place he was most satisfied.
“We have been able to give our best wherever we have been. After so many years at Tottenham, you need to win a title that gives you a different visibility. PSG was good because of the experience, it was a project that we hadn’t had before, with so many stars together. We won the League, the Cup and the Super Cup. That is, in a year and a half, three titles. But if you don’t win the Champions League it’s not enough, but instead you become one more like Ancelotti, Blanc, Tuchel, Emery, Galtier…”
The growing list of managers that have been unable to bring the Champions League to the Parc des Princes, and the quality of them, seems to suggest that the problem went beyond just the manager.
However everything was perfect in London, manager, club and players.
“It was the construction of a dream project. In addition, we arrived at the right time for a club that wanted to grow, play in the Champions League, win the Premier… We coincided in terms of time and type of project, so we communicated very well, as if we were made for each other. On top of that we almost won the Champions League. It will always remain something very special for us.”
Pochettino also highlighted three Tottenham players that had understood his footballing idea best.
“Harry Kane, Ryan Mason, Lallana… They understood very well what philosophy we had for the game, but also how we were as humans. When we started working together they had the potent to be great talents. They immediately captured our essence and fought to the death with us.”
No doubt Pochettino will not struggle for another opportunity. Despite his spell at PSG, he was consistently linked to Real Madrid and Manchester United beforehand. Whether he finds a club as suited to him as he feels Spurs though is another matter.
