Only a few days into his new job and new PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino is already keeping his eyes on the Champions League showdown with Barcelona.
Pochettino hopes injuries in his squad will have cleared up by then, allowing the team to face the five-time European champions at full strength.
“It looks far away, but it’s next month. The most important thing is to build and arrive at our best to face Barcelona [in the last 16],” Pochettino said at his first news conference on Tuesday.
“From the moment all the players will be available, there will be a massive competition [for places] between them. I think for sure we are going to arrive at our best to win, and to go further.”
Pochettino’s main task is getting PSG back on top of the league with the defending champion currently third after four losses. His first challenge he faces is at Saint-Etienne on Wednesday, with star forward Neymar listed among at least eight PSG players injured.
Sacked manager Tuchel had been heavily pressurized after PSG conceded two of its first three group games in the Champions League and complained in a TV interview about the difficulties he faced – which reportedly sealed his fate – and claiming that managing PSG was akin to being a politician due to the intense level of scrutiny.
Pochettino would probably have some measure of sympathy for Tuchel, having himself been sacked despite leading Tottenham to its first Champions League final in 2019 and losing to Liverpool.
Pochettino is expected to win big at PSG as the club is lavishly bankrolled by Qatari investors QSI for nearly 10 years, and the demands are massive. Tuchel was the third manager sacked in four years following Laurent Blanc and Unai Emery.
Managing PSG would be a different proposition from Pochettino’s underdog roles at Southampton and Tottenham, where he was hailed as a shrewd coach who maximized limited resources. The Argentine rescued the Saints from relegation, and then revitalised a stuttering Spurs side by reaching the 2015 League Cup final, and finishing second in the Premier League two years later.
When Spurs did not get the trophies, few blamed him as he was taking on the richer clubs.
Unfortnately the protection of a safety net does not exist at PSG, but Poch relishes the added pressure.
“Paris Saint-Germain have an amazing squad and unbelievable players,” he said. “I know what PSG represents and I know what big players are. I really believe they can perform in the best way, that is our expectation and challenge.”
Pochettino will be on familiar turf when he steps out at Parc des Princes for Saturday’s home game against Brest as he played 95 games for PSG as a tough centre back from 2001-03, combative and instantly popular with fans.
“Father Christmas has been generous with me,” Pochettino said, smiling. “To come back to the club 18 years later is a dream.”