Ligue Un Discussion Thread

[Jase 43,479]

https://www.espn.com/soccer/paris-saint-germain/story/4243177/psg-sack-manager-tuchel-on-christmas-eve-after-poor-start-to-season-sources

PSG have reportedly sacked Tuchel and Pochettino is set to replace him. 

[Vesper 27,282]

Why Mauricio Pochettino is poised to replace Thomas Tuchel at PSG

https://theathletic.com/2283997/2020/12/24/pochettino-psg-tuchel-tottenham/

Mauricio Pochettino is poised to finally return to management. The Argentine has not worked since he was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019, but is close to joining the French champions Paris Saint-Germain after Thomas Tuchel was sacked in the hours after a routine 4-0 win over Strasbourg. 

Tuchel won back-to-back league titles and the French cup and league cup last season, as well as leading PSG to their first Champions League final, but paid the price for a slow start in Ligue 1. PSG have four defeats from their first 17 games and are third, a point behind Lille and league leaders Lyon. 

Pochettino has been out of work since leaving Spurs despite contact with clubs including Manchester United but senior PSG players are now expecting him to take over in Paris.

There is no margin for error at Le Parc des Princes and Pochettino will immediately find himself thrown into the fiercest of spotlights. There will be a trophy at stake in just his third game in charge — against Andre Villas-Boas’ Marseille in the Trophee des Champions — and in February PSG take on Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16.

Then there are the dressing room egos and the club politics — a TV interview with Tuchel was understood to have angered the PSG hierarchy before the German was sacked.

Here, we answer some of the key questions around Tuchel’s departure and Pochettino’s impending arrival. 

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Why was Tuchel sacked? Wasn’t he successful?

Yes and no.

Tuchel can point towards PSG’s well-stocked trophy cabinet as evidence that his two-and-a-half year spell in France was successful. He replaced Unai Emery in May 2018, winning back-to-back league titles as well as the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue in 2020. His two-year contract was extended in May, which should have seen him remain in Paris until the end of the current campaign.

Paris Saint-Germain managers, however, are expected to win domestic titles. It’s what the club does and the very least that is expected. PSG have won Ligue 1 in seven of their past eight seasons, with their only blot coming under Emery. Laurent Fournier was the last PSG manager who failed to win silverware of any description, all the way back in 2005. He lasted only 36 games before being sacked.

Tuchel also inherited a dizzying, but exasperating, array of talent, led by Neymar, the most expensive player in the history of football. The German was therefore always likely to be held to a higher standard, with success in the Champions League the ultimate goal of the club’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Tuchel came closer than all of his predecessors, leading PSG to the final of last season’s tournament in Lisbon. But he did not come close enough. After a miraculous comeback in the semi-finals against Italian underdogs Atalanta, PSG lost the final 1-0 to an exceptionally disciplined and well-drilled Bayern Munich. “This is the worst feeling in the world,” Tuchel remarked afterwards.

At times he also struggled to control the dressing room, much like Emery before him. The German enjoyed some success with Neymar, removing the tactical straitjacket imposed upon the Brazilian by Emery and making him the centre of his project. There were disagreements with other players, however, most notably 22-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe. “Handling dressing room egos is demanding” Tuchel exclaimed in February after one particularly dramatic touchline spat.

And then there were the backroom politics.

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What politics?

A few hours before PSG’s match against Strasbourg on Wednesday evening, an interview with Tuchel was published by the German outlet SPORT1, in which he discussed the demands of managing such a big club.

The quotes were eye-catching, to say the least. Tuchel was quoted as saying he felt more like a sports politician than a coach during his first season at the club. He was also quoted as saying that it was difficult to keep players such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe happy.

The interview was not well received by the PSG hierarchy. Nor Tuchel, who furiously denied he made such comments and accused SPORT1 of mistranslating him. “I did not say that it is more about politics than sport, nor that I lost the fun of training. This is not true,” he complained on Canal+ after the win. “It is possible they translated incorrectly.”

The damage, however, was done. The Athletic understands sporting director Leonardo was particularly unimpressed with the interview and while Tuchel’s comments did not cost him his job — at that point the decision had already been made to dispense of his services — they demonstrate what a politically charged environment he was working in. Hours later he was sacked.

Leonardo was not the only executive figure Tuchel struggled to get along with. He also endured a strained relationship with the Brazilian’s predecessor as sporting director, Antero Henrique, while Al-Khelaifi has been known in the past to enjoy a hotline to senior players, making life for Tuchel difficult.

Tuchel is renowned as possessing a combustible personality and he also struggled to work alongside Michael Zorc in his previous job at Dortmund. “It is not the result alone that matters,” chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke wrote in an open letter to fans after Tuchel’s bad-tempered departure. “What also matters are fundamental values such as trust and respect. With Thomas Tuchel at the helm, Dortmund enjoyed two successful years in which our sporting objectives were achieved. However, we — sporting director Michael Zorc and myself — also did not always see eye to eye with the coaching staff during this period.”

The difference was that in his previous jobs at Dortmund and Mainz, Tuchel got used to having a large degree of control. That was never likely to be the case in Paris.

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So why Pochettino?

Every big team has been interested in Pochettino’s next move since November 2019 when he was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after five years in charge, leaving London with the club 14th in the Premier League. Pochettino impressed at Espanyol and Southampton before making his name in north London, inheriting a stagnant team and transforming them into the most exciting side in the country. Before long Pochettino had Tottenham challenging for the title and in 2018-19 they stunned Europe by reaching the final of the Champions League, which they lost 2-0 to Liverpool.

He has been a man in demand since chairman Daniel Levy replaced him with Jose Mourinho and the Argentine has been insistent that he is waiting to “find people who go hand-in-hand with the ideas that we have”, as he told Diego Torres in El Pais in August.

Pochettino has long appealed to PSG, particularly as he previously played for the club. He is also the kind of high-profile figure that PSG crave. Al-Khelaifi, the man tasked by Qatar to run their investment since 2011, has aggressively pursued the world’s most famous players and boasted that by signing Neymar from Barcelona in 2017 he had increased the club’s value from €1 billion to €1.5 billion overnight. Pochettino is one of the game’s few superstar managers and fits into this vision.

Pochettino’s relationship with Qatar should not be overlooked either. Last October, following a 3-0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion, Pochettino flew to Doha with his assistant Jesus Perez to deliver a lecture at the Aspire Global Summit on football performance. Since winning the bid to host the World Cup and buying PSG, Qatar has faced more human rights questions than ever before. Women’s liberties are restricted and homosexuality is illegal. But at the summit, Pochettino spoke glowingly of “the vision, planning, and passion (Qatar) shows for sports development”.

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Don’t they want a manager who has a track record of winning things?

Pochettino has never won a trophy as a manager, having lost the 2014-15 League Cup final to Chelsea and the 2018-19 Champions League final to Liverpool. His Tottenham side meanwhile finished second in the Premier League in the 2016-17 season, again losing out to Chelsea.

But he should not have to wait long to put that right. His third game in charge will be the French equivalent of the Community Shield, the Trophee des Champions, against a Marseille side led by Villas-Boas, another former Tottenham manager. The match presents Pochettino with an excellent opportunity before he has even spent a full month in his new job. PSG are also well-positioned in Ligue 1, just one point behind leaders Lyon.

Naturally, PSG will expect Pochettino to achieve more than simply winning domestic competitions. That wasn’t enough to save Tuchel. His first significant test will come against Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16, with the first leg in Spain on February 16. Leading Spurs to the Champions League final remains the greatest success of his managerial career and in Paris he will be hoping to take one step further.

To judge Pochettino’s brilliant work at Spurs through the prism of trophies alone is to miss the point. When he was at Spurs, Pochettino would argue when asked that trophies could not be the only measure of success. Even at his unveiling in 2014, he said his personal target was “to win every game and if you do that right to the end of the season, it is possible you win some trophies”. Trophies, then, were more of a by-product of success, rather than a target in themselves. That changes at PSG.

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How will he control the egos?

This is a particularly fascinating question. Pochettino has never worked with established top players before. Even the stars of his time at Spurs — Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen (more on them later) — were either unknown or unproven when Pochettino started to work with them.

Managing established players is different and difficult. Just ask Emery, who built his name at Sevilla only to find it impossible to coach a player of Neymar’s standing. Niko Kovac is another example, while Maurizio Sarri, brilliant at Napoli, only lasted one year each at Chelsea and Juventus.

The problem for such managers is that any “super club” employs top players on massive salaries who are more powerful than any other individual or passing coach. Numerous managers have found that out at Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, or Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid and Juventus. And the same is true at PSG, where Neymar and Mbappe rule the roost. Pochettino will need to get PSG’s superstars on side quickly. And he would do well to follow in Tuchel’s footsteps rather than Emery’s, by ensuring that Neymar is the star of the show rather than a sideline.

Yet Pochettino has shown before that he is not afraid to ruffle feathers Back in 2014 it did not take him long to realise that the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Etienne Capoue, Younes Kaboul, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Aaron Lennon were not fit for purpose. They were quickly sidelined — known as ‘the bomb squad’ — to make space for a younger group who wanted to play the Pochettino way.

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And how will they play?

Pochettino is justifiably proud of the energetic pressing football his Southampton and Tottenham sides played and he commented earlier this year that he believes he and his coaching team are responsible for deep changes in how football is played in England.

He frequently employed a 4-2-3-1 formation at both clubs, instructing his defenders to build play from the back and relying on hard-working, high-pressing forward players to chase opponents down and play the ball into the box at every opportunity. “Football in England changed with that Southampton team of 2013-14, there is no other team that had as big an impact in changing the mindset,” Pochettino remarked. “We found a group of players who wanted to learn from the experiences we brought from Spanish football, and with the quality to play a different style of football to that which everyone in English football was used to.”

PSG have not played a dissimilar style of football under Tuchel, who typically deployed either a 4-2-2-2 or 4-3-3 system, which was designed to play to both Neymar and Mbappe’s respective strengths. Tuchel’s system ensured that Neymar received the ball between the lines with Mbappe getting in behind, with the bulk of the forward pressing left to Angel Di Maria. Do not expect Pochettino to divert from such a system in the immediate future.

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Will he try and get the band back together?

Dele. Harry Winks. Eriksen. All are looking for a move away in January. All were key components to Pochettino’s Tottenham.

Let’s start with Dele. Sources have told The Athletic they expect the 24-year-old to be on the move next month, though as of yet nothing has been decided. It could also change if Dele impresses or Spurs suffer injuries in the coming weeks.

He was linked to PSG long before news of Pochettino’s impending appointment and his situation at Spurs appears even more stark after he was singled out for criticism by Mourinho following the 3-1 win over Stoke City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. “A player in that position is a player that has to link and create and not to create problems for his own team,” Mourinho complained after a wayward flick led to Stoke’s equalising goal.

Mourinho has previously refused to clarify whether Dele will remain at the club beyond the next transfer window, meaning he is an obtainable target should Pochettino decide he wants to reunite with him.

Eriksen is another player that is readily available after he was publicly transfer listed by Inter Milan on Wednesday. “I can confirm that Christian Eriksen is on the transfer list,” CEO Giuseppe Marotta told Sky Italia. “He is going to leave in January.”

Paris could be a good fit for Eriksen. Inter have struggled to find a taker for a player turning 29 in February on his salary, and a four-and-a-half-year deal at that. They fielded interest from Borussia Dortmund and Hertha Berlin about taking him on loan towards the end of the last transfer window, only for a move failing to materialise. Quitting the club to once again join forces with Pochettino could therefore suit all parties.

Then there is Winks. The Athletic understands the 24-year-old midfielder is increasingly concerned by his lack of game time under Mourinho and wants to be playing more ahead of EURO 2020 this summer. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is a known fan, while Winks also has admirers in La Liga. His Spanish ancestry and style of play mean a move there would make sense, but the nature of the market means any January switch is seen as unlikely. A loan move would seem a logical answer, but there would be little incentive for Spurs to weaken their squad for the business-end of such a gruelling season.

Of the three, Pochettino would find it hardest to reunite with Winks.

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Was Pochettino holding out on PSG all this time?

Not exactly.

Pochettino has always been vocal of his affection for Paris, having played for PSG 95 times between 2001-2003, in a star-studded team that included Ronaldinho, Nicolas Anelka, Jay-Jay Okocha, Mikel Arteta and Gabriel Heinze. While playing for the club, he lived in the town of Chambourcy on the outskirts of Paris, spending his days off visiting France’s different wine regions. Returning to the city therefore holds an obvious appeal.

In May, when his period of gardening leave from Tottenham ended, Pochettino gave an interview to the British media saying that he was waiting for the “the perfect club, the perfect project”. Ever since he has closely watched events at Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and PSG, while waiting patiently to make his next move. He has also fielded enquiries from different teams, most notably rejecting an advance from Monaco last summer, as revealed by The Athletic. Arsenal also saw him as a credible option to become their next permanent head coach after the sacking of Emery in November.

The most persistent links, however, were with Manchester United. The rumours started in 2016, when Sir Alex Ferguson dined with Pochettino at Scott’s Restaurant in Mayfair, just a few minutes’ walk from United’s London offices. Pochettino was also considered as a candidate to replace the sacked Mourinho, although a mooted figure of about £42 million in compensation, which in part would account for Pochettino’s £8.5 million-a-year Spurs contract that ran until 2023, was enough to deter United.

The Athletic understands that contact was made between United and Pochettino over the past twelve months, but the club decided against immediately replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Time will tell whether the Premier League giants will come to regret not appointing Pochettino for free while they had the chance.

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Pochettino arrived at PSG's HQ.

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[Vesper 27,282]

12 minutes ago, Blues Forever said:

 

thank fuck he did not end up at Manure

[Jase 43,479]

39 minutes ago, Vesper said:

thank fuck he did not end up at Manure

His PSG contract only runs until 2022, which is strange.  

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Sampaoli will be the new Olympique Marseille manager.

[NikkiCFC 7,563]

Wow another loss for PSG.

Lille 3 points ahead with 9 games to go.

Plus PSG has CL.

Next 2 games for PSG - Lyon and Lille.

Also interesting that Lille has no player in top10 goalscorers in the league. 

Edited March 14, 2021 by NikkiCFC

[NikkiCFC 7,563]

Game of the season in France is on.

PSG:Lille 0:1

If it stays like this: Lille 66, PSG 63, Monaco 62.

[NikkiCFC 7,563]

And they lost! Neymar sent off. 

[Jase 43,479]

#PochettinoOUT

[NikkiCFC 7,563]

Important win for Lille. 6 big finals for them left. Lyon away is the hardest but they can draw there or even lose if PSG lose more points.

And PSG will have at least 3 more big CL games plus Neymar is suspended after red card last week. 

 

[OneMoSalah 8,611]

51 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Important win for Lille. 6 big finals for them left. Lyon away is the hardest but they can draw there or even lose if PSG lose more points.

And PSG will have at least 3 more big CL games plus Neymar is suspended after red card last week. 

 

This is why Pochettino for as good a coach as he is, only has 1 trophy, in which PSG were already in the final for (I think?). He doesn’t understand the magnitude of winning trophies and more so, at clubs like PSG, it is an absolute must. I think Lille will win it.

And yet people will say he doesnt have his own players, he didnt get Dele Alli etc, I mean jesus .. look at their squad. Look at it and the value of it also. I still think if Tuchel hadn’t been so outspoken with Leonardo he would of still been there and turned it around. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by OneMoSalah

[NikkiCFC 7,563]

On 10/04/2021 at 00:15, OneMoSalah said:

This is why Pochettino for as good a coach as he is, only has 1 trophy, in which PSG were already in the final for (I think?). He doesn’t understand the magnitude of winning trophies and more so, at clubs like PSG, it is an absolute must. I think Lille will win it.

And yet people will say he doesnt have his own players, he didnt get Dele Alli etc, I mean jesus .. look at their squad. Look at it and the value of it also. I still think if Tuchel hadn’t been so outspoken with Leonardo he would of still been there and turned it around. 

Lille just lost 2 points. They also have Lyon away. There is a good chance PSG wins quadruple this season.

[OneMoSalah 8,611]

13 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Lille just lost 2 points. They also have Lyon away. There is a good chance PSG wins quadruple this season.

A win for PSG puts them one point behind Lille yea but its not exactly breathtaking for a squad of that quality to be 1 point behind a team that probably runs on a 25th of their budget. Even more so after their performances in those CL games v Bayern and at the Nou Camp, they must be thinking how are we second... but in all reality their domestic results aren’t that good with Poch.

Theres a good chance they come back and win Ligue 1 and possibly the other trophy in France yes but I still fancy City to win the CL in all reality. I think if I were to look at PSG domestically under Poch and City with Pep, City’s domestic form bar the odd few game, has been pretty much outstanding where as PSG fans probably have seen Pochettino’s impact hasn’t been what they'd have hoped for as domestically they have dropped 14 points v Lille, Nantes, Monaco, Lorient, St Etienne since he came in. No doubt the CL games at the Nou Camp and also v Bayern showed the obvious huge promise and its knockout football but Id still put City as favourites for the CL. Much better coach and a much better side.

If PSG get to the final I will be surprised in all honesty, I know they showed against Bayern what they are about but those sort of performances have been few and far between this season. 

Edited April 17, 2021 by OneMoSalah

[NikkiCFC 7,563]

6 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

but Id still put City as favourites for the CL. Much better coach and a much better side.

Poch already knockout Pep in CL with much inferior side. In fact City got knocked out 4 times in a row with Pep against inferior sides in CL.

Mbappe and Neymar will be too much for them.

 

 

[Vesper 27,282]

2020-21 Ligue 1

Lyon           
Lille            

http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/ligue-1-olympique-lyonnais-vs-lille-s4/

https://www.totalsportek.com/olympique-lyonnais/

 

[Vesper 27,282]