Why Pochettino is under pressure at PSG after one defeat in 16
Robin Bairner
- 4 Nov 2021 10:51 GMT
- 5 min read
Mauricio Pochettino might have seen his Paris Saint-Germain side win 12 and draw three of their 16 matches this season, but the coach finds himself under pressure.
With a squad of superstars assembled for him to work with, the expectation of a club to shine has rarely been higher.
With Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar together in the attack, Pochettino has three of the most devastating forwards of the last five years at his disposal. That, though, has brought its own pressures.
PSG are expected to win every game they play – and do it with some style.
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While Pochettino has been leading them to win after win, the style has been absent. Often, PSG have been reliant on late goals to gloss over poor performances. Their 2-1 success over Lille last weekend was just one example of that.
Perhaps what has been most alarming about PSG’s performances, though, is the complete lack of identity or style to their play.
Pochettino appears to be reliant on the individual brilliance of primarily Mbappe to get them out of difficult situations. Messi has weighed in on occasion while Neymar’s curious lack of form this season has meant that he has been the junior partner in this remarkable trio.
Structure to PSG’s play has been missing, both offensively and defensively, and the finger will swiftly be pointed at Pochettino if results begin to desert his side. He is a coach walking a tightrope.
Is this all Pochettino’s fault?
Pochettino has taken much of the flak as PSG’s figurehead in the dugout, but the hand he has been dealt is not necessarily playing to his strengths.
For example, he has won his reputation thanks to a pressing game that he cannot implement with PSG due to the nature of the forwards he has at his disposal.
Furthermore, there has been no identity behind the way in which the squad has been built. The summer signings were a hotchpotch of stars signed on the basis of their reputations and not the way they might fit into the team.
Sergio Ramos provides a perfect example. Was due diligence taken over his medical given that he has been at the club for three months with no sign of playing? Or was he signed because he was available and a big name?
Pochettino should not shoulder all the blame for the somewhat awkward start PSG have made to the season – but he will be the first to take it if there is no improvement.
