So what next if Mauricio Pochettino leaves? Manchester United seemed ideal, but another possibility could occur soonerThere is probably only one thing a manager can do at Paris Saint-Germain that would enhance his reputation, which is to win the Champions League – and even then there would be plenty of people looking at the £900m net spend since the Qatari takeover in 2011 and thinking: “About time.” Mauricio Pochettino has not done that.If, as seems likely despite his insistence this week he is staying, he leaves PSG in the summer, he does so with the blot of a rare second-placed league finish on his record. He will at least have answered the criticism that he had never won silverware –...
Exits for Conte and Zidane, together with talk of Pochettino returning to Spurs, epitomise the chaos of modern football At first glance, Antonio Conte leaving a club in dispute with the owners soon after leading them to a league title may not seem particularly significant. This is what he does. His departure from Internazionale follows ostensibly similar departures from Juventus and Chelsea, and he left the Italy national job early as well.But this is about far more than Conte. What is happening at Inter is emblematic of the chaos of modern football and the struggles of an industry that had become a stage for the soft-power machinations of various states and oligarchs and was in need of major financial recalibration...
Should Mauricio Pochettino indulge the mercurial Brazilian in the perennial chokers’ quarter-final against Bayern Munich?The same procedure as last year? The same procedure as every year. But for how long? At some point, Paris Saint-Germain will win the Champions League and the world will be able to stop wondering if this could finally be their season. And so we go through the familiar rigmarole and ask, could this be it? Could the stars have aligned at last? Could PSG finally have found the right balance of coach and stellar players?Certainly the 4-1 victory at Barcelona in the last 16, arguably their best performance in the Champions League, suggested they could. At which point the caveats immediately kick in. This is...
Early exit of Unai Emery was no surprise in these times, so now Mourinho’s no-frills, quick-fix style is the perfect strategyIt was fortunate Liverpool emerged victorious against Salzburg on Tuesday because otherwise they might have been out of the Champions League, with speculation growing that Jürgen Klopp was for the axe. I jest, of course, though it’s not quite as an absurd idea as it may sound.Klopp has worked wonders at Liverpool, creating arguably the finest team in the world at the present time. In all competitions the only side to beat his team so far this season are Napoli. But it should be noted the manager of that Napoli team, Carlo Ancelotti, a three‑times winner of the Champions League,...
Tottenhams current woes are rooted in the lack of new signings two summers ago but is Jos Mourinho really the right fit?Fifty years ago this season Liverpool went to Watford, then struggling near the bottom of the Second Division, in the sixth round of the FA Cup. On a dreadful pitch, its central third rutted and bare, they lost 1-0 to a diving header from Barry Endean. Bill Shankly called Watford the worst team that ever beat us. He was aware the upset could be as epochal as the defeat to Worcester City that had led to him replacing Phil Taylor as manager in 1959 and was provoked into action. I knew I had to do my job and change...