Yet, the question should boggle minds on who or what has to give for this to happen. The way it usually goes in business, the coach gets fired. It is that simple and again, that has become the conclusion of that meeting between Pochettino and the board, however, mutual. A team boasting an attack hosting names like Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe has failed to lead the club to the Holy Grail. But, is this failure a result of personnel shortcomings or process misgivings?
Of course, Pochettino must be questioned why the team consistently churned out embarrassing performances. In a club like PSG, winning is the basic requirement, but you have got to do it with style, and sheer elegance! The biggest disservice this wealthily assembled team did to the fans this season was to deprive them of genuine entertainment and glee. PSG won games but they seemed so labored about the process. There was no identity, and when it seemed to surface in big tactical battles in the Champions League particularly, Pochettino did not see his team as good enough to take the game head-on- they were the cautious ones.
Whilst the manager must create the system and deploy his arsenal in a way that works, we must begin to appreciate that at the highest level in modern football, the coach is as dependent on the philosophy and vision of the management as much as the players are on his football ideas. This means that when the process is faulty, there is only so much the coach on his own can do. That said, PSG is a highly political club. You have got to understand the underlying processes of this kind of club and decide whether to align or use the exit.
The view of the club hierarchy seems pretty clear: "We've got the money, we can get you the top players. You go ahead and get us the trophies." There is nothing wrong with this setup seeing that the manager has got to be backed in the market and has got to deliver the goods with what he has got. The only issue is that PSG managers are not "backed", they are "fronted". Players arrive on them and they don't seem to have even a cough on what the squad shape should be. Pochettino is thus, the wrong appointment for PSG because he is more of a project manager and not a serial winner. This does not undermine his quality, experience, and standing as a top-class coach in world football. There was no way he would get a group of egoistic and money-stuffed, fame-drunk players to put in the level of hard running and tactical discipline we saw at Southampton and Spurs.
Again, it is not as though PSG has not gone through more decorated managers in the past. Carlo Ancelotti, the "record man" has been here. He has won that trophy twice since getting the boot at Parc Des Princes. Unai Emery has led Villarreal to a Europa League title and a Champions League semi-final, defeating Juventus and Bayern Munich along the way, since leaving the French capital. It may not be an issue of shortfalls or incompetence on the part of managers.
Tuchel got sacked last year for some misconstrued comments in media coverage. Well, some hostilities had been festering in the background between the Sporting Director and coach. The German would prefer a place he can do his football without external noises and it would seem Pochettino has also been uncomfortable with several things as well. Never mind the attempt to join Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur mid-season. It had been an unsteady relationship between him and the club.
So, does PSG want to ask a different question as they watch Pochettino leave Paris? They have assembled a big squad, but over the years, they have compromised identity, synergy, and tactical superiority on the pitch. The manners of their incessant oustings in the Champions League have consistently highlighted shortfalls in discipline, character, and tactical excellence. It is more of a cultural thing than a personal one. Perhaps it is time to look at the process of building the team rather than just who manages the collection.
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