Having the best players in the world at your disposal does not always translate to footballing paradise. Mauricio Pochettino is slowly finding this out at PSG, with the Argentine tactician succumbing to several frustrations in the French capital.
Of course, this is nothing new. Thomas Tuchel, regarded now as one of the best coaches in the world, faced many issues during his time at the Parc des Princes thanks to the star-studded egos at the club. Prior to him, it was Unai Emery, a manager with European credentials who unfortunately struggled to manage the dressing room.
And as a result, Marca report that key figures in the PSG board are already looking ahead to life after Pochettino, with director of football Leonardo, one of the most influential figures at the club, believing that Zinedine Zidane is the right man to take over Les Parisiens.
The French icon was linked with the Ligue 1 giants a while back after Mauricio Pochettino emerged as target no.1 for Man Utd in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking. However, the 1998 World Cup winner had been on their radar way before that.
Unfortunately, the domino effect did not occur as the Argentine remained in Paris and the Frenchman opted against arriving at the club in the middle of the season. Regardless, Leonardo continues to keep an eye on the man who led Real Madrid to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles.
But does this mean Pochettino is headed out the Parc des Princes door? While Mbappe and Co. are still fighting for every single trophy this season, the odds of the former Spurs head coach remaining diminish by the week.
While this could be blamed on the lure of the Man United job, as the Red Devils are likely to resume their pursuit of the South American this summer, a lot is down to the circumstances at PSG. Pochettino feels unsettled at his place of work, with the issue of handling the likes of Messi, Neymar, Mbappe, and the other prima donnas proving to be burdensome.
The club offer certain stars privileges while retaining responsibility over player movement and transfers, as written in the report. This brings about a conundrum for the head coach who has to manage the dressing room. What does Pochettino do when one or more of those privileged superstars exhibit poor professional and discipline?
This occurred in the wake of Lionel Messi's recent Ballon d'Or winner as a handful of players missed out the subsequent training session after celebrating the Argentine's victory, leaving Pochettino fuming. Unfortunately, the club took no disciplinary action, and to make things worse, this was not the first time the higher-ups turned a blind eye when punishment was needed.
The article predicts Pochettino will remain in charge until the end of the season. After that, time will tell whether he continues with the PSG project or jumps ship. Zidane, meanwhile, is keen on the Paris job and desires to take over the club next season.
