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10 Things to know about Coach Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero (born 2 March 1972) is a former player and manager in Argentina. He most recently served as the head coach of the Ligue 1 club Â鶹APP Saint-Germain.

Pochettino began his career as a central defender in 1989 with Primera División club Newell’s Old Boys, where he won a league title and finished runner-up in the 1992 Copa Libertadores. He rose to prominence while coaching Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier League before moving on to PSG. He has been a well-liked clinical coach, a very calm coach, and a mastermind of the game. This article will look at some of the facts about this professional coach that you should be aware of. Discover Walks will keep you up to date. Let’s get started.

1. Pochettino began his career with the Primera Division club  Newell’s Old Boys

Picture Courtesy of El Gráfico.

Pochettino began his career as a central defender in 1989 with Primera División club Newell’s Old Boys, where he won a league title and finished runner-up in the 1992 Copa Libertadores.

In 1994, he joined the newly promoted La Liga club Espanyol, where he helped them achieve top-flight status and won the Copa del Rey in 2000, their first trophy in 60 years.

He joined Ligue 1 club Â鶹APP Saint-Germain in 2001 and spent time with Bordeaux before returning to Espanyol in 2004, where he won another Copa del Rey in 2006.

Pochettino earned 20 Argentina national team caps and competed in the 1999 Copa América and 2002 FIFA World Cup.

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2. He began his managerial career at Espanyol

Pochettino began his managerial career at Espanyol in 2009, after retiring as a player. After poor results and financial disagreements, he left the club in 2012.

In 2013, he was appointed as manager of Premier League club Southampton, where he led them to an eighth-place finish that season, their highest-ever Premier League finish.

He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2014 and was league runner-up in 2016-17, as well as a UEFA Champions League finalist in 2019.

He was fired following a string of poor results and joined Â鶹APP Saint-Germain in 2021, where he won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.

3. Mauricio as the Southampton Boss

Pochettino was named the new first-team manager of Premier League club Southampton on January 18, 2013, succeeding Nigel Adkins and becoming the second Argentine manager in English football after Osvaldo Ardiles. On February 9th, he defeated reigning champions Manchester City 3-1 at home.

Despite knowing some English, Pochettino initially relied on a Spanish interpreter in press conferences to fully express himself. He led the Saints to notable victories over other top-tier teams.

Pochettino led Southampton to an eighth-place finish in his first full season, their highest league position since 2002-03, and their highest points total since the Premier League began in 1992-93.

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4.  He favors a very high-pressing, attacking style of football

Pochettino prefers a high-pressing, attacking style of play. At the clubs he manages, he frequently uses a 4-2-3-1 formation. While doing so, he instructs his team to build from the back, use a quick-press system to intimidate and unsettle opponents and work the ball into the box.

5. Praised for developing young talents

Many pundits praise Pochettino for his emphasis on developing local players from the clubs’ youth academies, gaining support from local government and references, and a willingness to promote young players in general.

Many young players under his tutelage went on to play for the England national team, and the manager himself felt it was his responsibility to develop English talent.

Pochettino’s players praised his man-management approach and guidance, as well as his willingness to advise, encouraging players to take charge of their own development and assisting them to improve physically, technically, and mentally.

6. Tottenham Boss

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Pochettino was appointed head coach of Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract on May 27, 2014, becoming the club’s tenth manager in a 12-year period.

In the domestic league, his first season was generally successful, finishing fifth and converting several young academy players into regular first-team players; he started one of those graduates, Harry Kane, at the expense of Spanish international Roberto Soldado, a gamble that paid off as Kane and teammates Dele Alli and Eric Dier was touted as the potential basis for England’s squad at UEFA Euro 2016.

Pochettino agreed to an extension to his contract on May 12, 2016, committing him to the club until 2021, as it was also confirmed that his title had changed from that of “head coach” to “manager”, although he confirmed that the role itself was no different.

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7. Â鶹APP Saint-Germain Head Coach

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Pochettino was appointed as the head coach of Â鶹APP Saint-Germain on an 18-month contract on January 2, 2021, where he had spent two years during his playing career. He took over for Thomas Tuchel.

Pochettino finished the season with a win over Monaco in the Coupe de France Final and second place in Ligue 1 behind Lille.

He extended his contract until 2023 in July 2021. He won his first Ligue 1 title in the 2021-22 season. Pochettino’s departure from Â鶹APP Saint-Germain was announced on July 5, 2022.

8. Like Father like the sons

Sebastiano and Maurizio Pochettino are the sons of Pochettino and Karina Grippaldi.  Sebastiano was Tottenham’s first team sports scientist. 

  Maurizio was signed to Tottenham’s development squad and scored his first goal for the club against Norwich City in October 2018. He made his under-23 debut against VfL Wolfsburg in early December. Maurizio joined Watford in January 2021.

Pochettino believes in “energy universal,” or “universal energy,” which holds that people, places, and things are imbued with hidden energy, either positive or negative.

9. Apprentice Of The El Loco

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Marcelo Bielsa, alias El Loco (The Madman), once showed up at the home of a 14-year-old Pochettino in the small town of Murphy at 2 a.m.

He was accompanied by Jorge Griffa, who was also a coach at Newell’s Old Boys at the time and was known for discovering players such as Gabriel Batistuta and Carlos Tevez. According to the story, they signed the teenager after inspecting his legs.

10.  The Man With A Golden Heart 

Pochettino was in charge of Espanyol when captain Daniel Jarque, 26, died in 2009 after collapsing during a pre-season training session.

Jarque’s girlfriend was pregnant at the time of his death. Their daughter was born on September 23, a few weeks later. It coincided with Espanyol’s first victory in their new stadium. Pochettino dedicated the victory to the baby and her mother after the game.

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