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Mauricio Pochettino has left open the potential for Lionel Messi becoming a member of him at Paris Saint-Germain by saying “any large participant on the earth is welcome”.
At his first press convention as PSG supervisor, Pochettino was requested whether or not he would converse to his fellow Argentinian this month about shifting to France when the player’s contract at Barcelona is because of expire after the present season.
Rumours of such a transfer have lengthy been in circulation and Pochettino didn’t quash them. “To be sincere, we’re not speaking about that,” mentioned Pochettino on Tuesday, three days after affirmation of his appointment. “We now have simply arrived and it’s been a loopy interval, attempting to adapt to a brand new membership. We’ve had plenty of conferences, coaching classes and are getting ready for a recreation [at Saint-Étienne on Wednesday]. For positive we’re going to have time to speak about the whole lot. At Paris Saint-Germain any large participant on the earth is, I believe, welcome.”
At an unveiling through which he revealed little, Pochettino, who spent two years at PSG as a participant, spoke in Spanish and English however prevented answering questions on switch bids for Dele Alli or Christian Eriksen, with whom he loved working at Tottenham. However he made no effort to masks his pleasure at taking cost of PSG, his first job since leaving Spurs in November 2019. “Father Christmas was superb to me this yr,” he mentioned with a broad smile.
After the Ligue 1 matches towards Saint-Étienne and Brest on Saturday, Pochettino can have a possibility to win the primary trophy of his managerial profession subsequent Wednesday when PSG duel with Marseille within the Trophée des Champions, France’s equal of the Neighborhood Protect. However the 48-year-old is in little doubt his main mission is to show PSG into European champions. They may meet Barcelona and Messi within the final 16, with the primary leg on 16 February.
“For PSG, as with every large membership, the Champions League is an important competitors, although the others are additionally necessary. In fact it’s a large problem. Subsequent month appears far-off however an important factor is for us to reach for the match at our greatest. We’re actually assured. We now have an unbelievable squad. That is the second to attempt to construct, get to know one another and adapt shortly. For positive we’re going to arrive at our greatest and with the purpose of successful and going farther.” Pochettino should deal with a raft of accidents in his first week. Neymar is certainly one of a number of gamers unavailable for the journey to Saint-Étienne.
Pochettino’s success at PSG will rely to a big extent on his means to get one of the best out of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, ideally whereas serving to to steer every of them to signal new contracts, with their present offers expiring subsequent yr. He refused to specify how he supposed to deploy every participant, saying solely he hoped to make use of each participant “in a approach that permits them to greatest categorical their potential”, including that “in fashionable soccer each staff needs to be versatile”.
He did, nonetheless, affirm that Marquinhos would stay the membership’s captain, although he didn’t say whether or not he considered the Brazilian primarily as a defender or a midfielder. Pochettino’s predecessor, Thomas Tuchel, was usually criticised for deploying Marquinhos in midfield.
PSG’s earlier two managers – Tuchel and Unai Emery – every arrived at PSG preaching high-intensity, attacking kinds through which the collective power can be stronger than particular person skills. Each in the end failed and wound up frustrated, with inconsistent, ambiguous groups. Requested whether or not he thought he may work efficiently with demanding superstars, Pochettino replied: “We now have labored with nice gamers earlier than.”
His backroom workers at PSG will embrace the identical coaches who supported him at Spurs, Jesus Pérez, Miguel D’Agostino and the goalkeeper coach, Toni Jiménez, plus his son, the sports activities scientist Sebastiano. Requested to check PSG with the Premier League membership, Pochettino replied. “It’s tough for us to be goal about Tottenham as a result of it’s nonetheless very a lot in our hearts and we left with unbelievable recollections. However now’s the second to be 100% centered on PSG.”
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