Mauricio Pochettino career at crossroads after paying price for Euro failure at PSG

Argentinian to leave French champions having failed to achieve the Champions League glory that club owners crave

Mauricio Pochettino is leaving Paris Saint-Germain despite guiding the club to a Ligue 1 title. AFP

Mauricio Pochettino’s second departure from Paris Saint-Germain, where he was on Thursday finalising the pay-off for severing his contract as manager, feels a little like his first. He was captain 19 years ago when he played his last match for the club, came tantalisingly close to fulfilment in it, but left deeply disappointed.

In the 2003 French Cup final against Auxerre, PSG took an early lead. Fourteen minutes from time, a lob over the head of Pochettino invited the Auxerre striker Djibril Cisse to equalise. With a minute of normal time left, he was slumped to his knees as Auxerre scored a second.

“We can’t be happy with the season,” a deflated Pochettino, long-haired and long-faced, told reporters. Both he and the club’s then star, Ronaldinho, would soon be heading off to play their club football in Spain.

Pochettino’s next job in management may yet be in Spain. Among those bidding for the presidency of Athletic Bilbao is a candidate who wants the Argentinian as manager.

A few months ago, ‘Poch’ was being eyed as a contender to take over at Manchester United, although they opted instead for Erik ten Hag. Real Madrid have also had him on potential shortlists, although events of recent months pushed the idea of a new coach off their radar. What all these suitors knew was that Pochettino would not be at PSG beyond this summer.

He will leave a year short of the end of his deal, with a Ligue 1 title freshly achieved, plus the 2020-21 French Cup victory from his first half-season back in Paris. But he has never seemed entirely at ease at a club of soaring ambition, huge spending power and a vastly different corporate character – since the 2011 takeover by Qatari owners – from the PSG he played for.

Coaches tend not to stay very long in Paris, although Pochettino’s 18 month stint falls well shy of the two and a half years Thomas Tuchel was there, and short of Unai Emery’s two seasons – to cite his immediate predecessors.

PSG win French Cup final against Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino celebrates with star striker Kylian Mbappe after the French Cup final win over Monaco at Stade de France on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Mauro Icardi celebrates scoring his team's first goal in their 2-0 win against Monaco.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe fights for the ball with Monaco's Djibril Sidibe.

Paris Saint-Germain players celebrate after the match.

Left to right: Neymar, Marquinhos, Rafinha and Danilo Pereira celebrate with the trophy.

PSG striker Kylian Mbappe celebrates with the trophy.

PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas attempts to make a save.

Monaco defender Djibril Sidibe.

PSG forward Neymar with manager Mauricio Pochettino.

From left: Keylor Navas, Mauro Icardi, Pablo Sarabia and Sergio Rico celebrate with the trophy.

PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas makes a save.

PSG defender Abdou Diallo fights for the ball with Monaco's Gelson Martins.

Monaco's French forward Wissam Ben Yedder leaves the pitch at the end of the French Cup final.

Kylian Mbappe with Leandro Paredes.

Tuchel took the club to their first ever Champions League final, and was gone the following December. Emery survived the setback of not winning the league – PSG have been champions eight times in the last 10 years – but, like Pochettino, found that not making a big splash in Europe, where the club want to be recognised as true heavyweights, was what really counted against him.

The club had imagined Pochettino, inspirational for much of his five years managing Tottenham Hotspur, might coax Champions League success from a squad that, while unbalanced, boasts brilliant attacking talent.

A half-hour collapse in Madrid in March scotched that dream, and it sealed Pochettino’s fate. Rather like that 2003 Cup final, he watched helpless as PSG let a lead turn, late in the contest, into a defeat, Real Madrid rebounding from 2-0 down on aggregate to win 3-2 in the last-16.

He heard his and his players’ names booed by home supporters in the aftermath, even as PSG waltzed towards the Ligue 1 title, and his capacity to draw the best out of star individuals questioned.

Lionel Messi scored a mere six league goals in his first campaign in France. Gini Wijnaldum, another high-profile free transfer of last summer, was voted ‘Biggest Flop’ of all the new faces in the 2021-22 French top division.

Real Madrid 3 PSG 1: player ratings

REAL MADRID: Thibaut Courtois - 6: Made three comfortable first-half saves but was then deceived at near post by Mbappe for opening goal of game. EPA

Dani Carvajal - 5: Playing like a winger on right dragged powerful strike wide of target in 12th minute. Costly loss of possession led to counter-attack and Mbappe’s goal. Cynical booking for barging over same player in second half. EPA

Eder Militao - 7: Two vital challenges on Messi and then Neymar when former Barca pair were teeing-up shots just before break. Dominant and error-free at back for Real, unlike some PSG defenders at other end. EPA

David Alaba - 7: Former Bayern Munich defender was last man when Mbappe charged through in first half but couldn’t stop French striker scoring. Perfectly timed tackle to stop Mbappe scoring another early in second period. AFP

Nacho - 6: Picked up yellow for tripping Hakimi late in first half and found Moroccan’s pace a problem for first hour of game until Real’s first goal when balance of game turned on its head and Nacho played his part. AFP

Luka Modric - 8: Croatian midfielder had not been at his most influential then took charge of game on second half. Charging run to begin move for Benzema’s second and then provided pinpoint pass to striker’s feet to seal assist. Curled left-foot shot just wide in last couple of minutes. AP

Federico Valverde - 7: Picked out Benzema with cross in first half but attacker’s header sailed gently into Donnarumma’s hands. Another midfielder who helped Real turnaround game. EPA

Toni Kroos – 6: Recovered from hamstring injury to start in midfield and his perfect ball into middle picked out Benzema for French striker’s second missed headed opportunity. German didn’t look 100 per cent fit and came off before hour mark. AP

Marco Asensio - 4: Couldn’t get into game and when half-chance did fall his way just after half-time, his control let him down and PSG cleared. Hooked early in second half. AFP

Karim Benzema – 9.5: Thought he had opened scoring with curling shot but Donnarumma tipped narrowly wide of upright. Levelled scores on night after taking advantage of Donnarumma error. Then scored two goals in less than a minute to seal his second-half hat-trick. AFP

Vinicius Junior - 8: Pace caused PSG early problems and looked like he might run riot but threat waned as first-half wore on. Back with bang after break. Heavily involved in all three of Benzema’s goals. Should have put Real 2-1 up but snatched at chance and fired over bar. AP

SUBS: Rodrygo – (On for Asensio 57’) 7: Helped give Real some extra width and stretch the PSG defence. Reuters

Eduardo Camavinga – (On for Kroos 57’) 7: All of Carlo Ancelotti’s substitutes paid off and French midfielder helped change game. Getty

Lucas Vazquez – (On for Carvajal 66’) 7: Harsh booking for minor touch on Mbappe. EPA

PSG RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 5: Fantastic fingertip save at full stretch to turn Benzema shot round post 25 minutes in. Awful mistake to give ball away for Benzema’s opening goal and booked for protesting that he was fouled but error was own making. AP

Achraf Hakimi - 6: Given early headache down right by Vinicius Jnr’s pace but regained control and looked threat himself when bombing forward. Played Benzema narrowly onside for striker’s hat-trick finish and picked up a booking for fouling Vinicius Junior soon after. EPA

Marquinhos - 3: Some uncharacteristic howlers from Brazilian. Captain gifted ball to Vinicius Jnr with ludicrous backheel flick just before half-hour mark and was lucky not to be punished. Gave ball straight to Benzema for Real striker’s third goal. Getty

Presnel Kimpembe - 6: France defender was solid at back and was rarely troubled in first half. Called on to tidy up when Ansensio threatened just after break but was booked late on as game slipped away from PSG. Getty

Nuno Mendes - 6: Failed to time his run and was caught offside while setting up Mbappe’s disallowed first-half goal. Good going forward, not so convincing the other direction. Getty

Leandro Paredes - 6: Seventh-minute booking left him on knife-edge for rest of game and would have ruled him out of quarter-final first leg. Headed block on Valvderde blockbusting volley at start of second half. Getty

Danilo - 7: Chased and harried Real, doing the donkey work for more esteemed attacking teammates but couldn’t stop Real’s second-half onslaught. Getty

Marco Verratti - 6: Helped dictate midfield along with Messi in first half but, like all his teammates, completely lost control of game in second. AFP

Lionel Messi - 7: Linked up well with Mbappe and Neymar to set up first-half chances. Dinked one of those across goal himself but no teammate was there to finish. Influence and threat fell away as second half wore on until hitting roof of net with late free-kick. AFP

Kylian Mbappe - 9: Had two early strikes saved by Courtois and then had ball in the net but disallowed for offside. Did score in 39th minute, drilling home into corner after PSG counter-attack. Rounded keeper and scored another just after break but again denied by offside flag. Getty

Neymar - 6: Shot easily saved by keeper after linking up with Mbappe and Verratti. Sent Mbappe through for opening goal with first-time ball. Anonymous second 45 minutes. AP

SUBS: Idrissa Gueye – (On for Paredes 71’) 5: Midfielder brought to try and give PSG a bit of control back into game that Real were dominating but couldn’t turn tide. AFP

Angel Di Maria – (On for Danilo 81’) N/A. AP Julian Draxler – (On for Hakimi 88’) N/A.

Gigio Donnarumma – who, with Keylor Navas, never felt quite sure if he was the number one pick in goal under Pochettino – knows his debut PSG campaign will be remembered most for the way he was hustled off the ball at the beginning of Madrid’s stunning comeback at the Bernabeu.

Pochettino’s replacement – the Nice manager Christophe Galtier is strongly placed, after Zinedine Zidane and Juventus’s Max Allegri were cool to PSG’s approaches – will be asked to gain more from Messi and massage Donnarumma’s confidence.

He will benefit from Kylian Mbappe’s decision to stay in Paris rather than join Real Madrid, and, with an eye on fresh incoming talent, will want to be reassured that a complaint lodged this week with Uefa by Spain’s Liga about perceived “continued breaches” of the European governing body’s Financial Fair Play rules will not lead to PSG being penalised – or their activities in the market suddenly constrained.

As for Pochettino, he is at a crossroads. Eighteen months ago, he was the bright young capture for PSG whose reputation suffered mainly for a lack of silverware from his spells at Espanyol, Southampton and Spurs. He has French domestic medals now.

Tuchel, of Chelsea, and Emery, at Villarreal, would tell him that to be fired by the restless Paris club does not prevent a coach going on to thrive elsewhere. But it has been a difficult episode for ‘Poch’. He needs his next job to be successful, and to restore his joy in the game.