Mauricio Pochettino has urged the Paris Saint-Germain board to back him in a similar way that Manchester City’s top brass support Pep Guardiola.
It is thought that Pochettino is under immense pressure from the Parisian hierarchy despite reclaiming the Ligue 1 crown off Lille last season. In 2021/22, PSG cantered to French top-flight success, but came up short in the Champions League, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions.
Those failures, both domestically and on the European stage, have enhanced the spotlight on Pochettino’s tenure, with suggestions the Argentine coach is now on borrowed time in the French capital, while a host of elite names have surfaced to replace him, not least Roma boss Jose Mourinho.
However, Pochettino has looked to abate immediate fears about his position as PSG manager, saying he is “calm” about the current situation and that rumours over his future are nothing new, but simply part and parcel of holding the Parc des Princes reins.
“I have one year left on my contract and there are a lot of rumours. Every week I am fired,” Pochettino told Esport3.
“PSG arouses this kind of thing. The club is trying to reinvent itself. The president will soon explain his new project, but I’m calm.
“To get there (at PSG), you have to be a good coach and after a year and a half there, I feel like one of the best. To lead a locker room with so many stars was a daily learning experience.
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“We were very close to knocking out Madrid, like Chelsea, City and Liverpool. We went through it. I think we were far superior, but we missed the finishing touch. If the objective is to win the Champions League, it is normal to generate this kind of storm.”
Pochettino went on to add that City have demonstrated the best model for success in the modern game after giving Guardiola the “opportunity to build” at the Etihad — and he has now urged his own employers to hand him a similar level of backing to achieve their collective goals.
“You have to give value to the championship and the cup (in Paris). The Champions League is a competition that has very few games,” he added.
“There are things that I don’t understand. The storm started after Madrid were eliminated. We won the league, like other coaches like [Laurent] Blanc or [Carlo] Ancelotti did.
“I like City because they gave Guardiola the opportunity to build. They gave him time. At PSG, you also need that. By giving serenity to this project, we will be close to winning the Champions League.”