The Christmas break saw the Paris Saint-Germain hierarchy cooking manager Thomas Tuchel’s goose and bringing in Mauricio Pochettino as they started their second half of its 2020-21 season.
The Argentine tactician has already had two months at the helm with a mixed bag of results – both positive and negative, with Pochettino’s recent, biggest achievement being the capital club’s 4-1 UEFA Champions League victory over FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
However, the Argentine is also saddled with the failure to pick up three points in Ligue 1 consistently. Not to mention also the fixtures at home being a struggle, resulting in the French giants currently finding themselves fighting not only for the league title but for one of the three Champions League spots for next season.
Regardless, PSG sporting director Leonardo seems at least for the present to be happy with the job the ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss is doing with Les Parisiens, as he stated in his interview with France Bleu Paris (via Paris Fans).
“I think everyone’s goal is to have an identity and have something that you recognize in your play and behavior. We talked about it with Pochettino. There is also that for the players, the change of coach in January is another thing. We made the decision, and we were aware, but it’s not easy for the coach with games right away, and the players have to absorb it all; there is a lot of change. This is a tough season. It is not to hide, and it is a fact,” Leonardo said.
“Pochettino was able to enter the group well, and that was the most important. After that, having the identity of the game takes time. We can’t say we’re going to do this right away. We must value the availability of everyone.
We knew it was a big change. There are 12 games, nine wins, including the first leg against Barça. We are 3rd in Ligue 1.”