Paris (AFP)
Although Paris Saint-Germain won their 10th Ligue 1 title last week and equaled the record set by Saint-Etienne four decades ago, their Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino is likely to leave his bags in France. At the end of this season, according to reports from the French capital, in order to instill a new spirit in the team.
There are four games left for Saint-Germain, which starts on Friday against Strasbourg outside their stadium, in a clash that brings together two coaches who are candidates for the title of best coach of the season in the twenty-fifth stage.
Strasbourg coach Julien Stephanie has been highly praised in recent weeks for the development of his squad and players, as his team is in sixth position and fighting hard for one of the qualifying cards for next season’s European Championship.
The dynamism of Stephanie, son of French coach Guy Stephanie’s assistant, has compensated for Pochettino’s low popularity among fans in the capital and grows as the end of the season approaches, specifically on May 21.
There is no doubt that the discontent of Saint-Germain fans is mainly due to the premature exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, despite the Parisian team having advanced 1-0 in the first game. At the Parc des Princes, and then the return goal at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, before falling to Real Club with an excellent threesome for their French forward Karim Benzema. In addition, the team does not offer performances worthy of its reputation and the size of the stars that make it up.
Pochettino’s tendency to be sacked is so strong that winning the title after a 1-1 draw with Lens last Saturday didn’t change anything, as the team’s fans refused to celebrate on the pitch, but off it.
Several reports this week said that Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte of Italy is interested in overseeing Saint-Germain and replacing his Argentine counterpart.
But before Conte announced the Saint-Germain manager’s desire, there was a demand from French football legend Zinedine Zidane to oversee the team, but it seems the latter is more interested in coaching his country, perhaps after the World Cup. Cup 2022, replacing his former teammate Didier Deschamps.
With all the fuss over the new coach’s identity, it appears the club’s management is in the process of switching to the coaching staff, with Brazilian sporting director Leonardo admitting his team had a frustrating season, saying: It’s true that the season has been tough, especially in recent months, tough for all those who have suffered for it.
And he added: “We are going to talk to everyone, not only with the coach, but also with the players, to explain something to them and the strategy that must be followed”. It’s a public speech.
It seems that Pochettino was criticized by the board, which revealed the talent of a trio formed by Killian Mbabane, Brazilian Neymar and Argentine Lionel Messi.
The Argentine coach has become the most isolated, especially after the statements of Leonardo, who refused to confirm his continuity next season, recalling the state of former German coach Thomas Tuchel, who was fired in December 2020.
However, Pochettino does not want to leave the ship and maintains his record after taking office saying: three titles with the Champions League and the Coupe de France in 2021 in the last 18 months, under these conditions makes me happy.
He added: “The aspiration and desire is to deliver the best and we really want revenge.”
His decision to release Pochettino will likely take four games to write a positive ending to this difficult season.
Second champion Marcel has a difficult game against Lyon, who have not given up hope of qualifying for European tournaments with 52 points in eighth place.
Of note, Marseille will play the first game of the Conference League semi-finals on Thursday night against Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Netherlands.