DURBAN - Now that Mauricio Pochettino has taken over PSG, he should and will be expected to garner the first pieces of silverware in his managerial career. While the 48-year-old has garnered plaudits for his managerial abilities, he has yet to land a piece of major silverware in his 12-year coaching career.
Granted, his three previous jobs were with Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Espanyol, three clubs which are far from being among the most resourced in the world.
PSG have made no secret of the fact that their desire is to become the best club in the world, not just win the Ligue 1. Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel did all deliver the Ligue 1 title at the Parc des Princes but all of their stints as PSG boss are not actually viewed as successes because they all ultimately failed to win the Champions League and make the club the best in the world.
From the aforementioned quartet, Tuchel came the closest to delivering the Champions League as he took the club to the final of Europe’s Premier Club competition last season before they were outplayed by Bayern Munich in the final.
The following are things that Pochettino will have to take care of now that he is in charge of PSG:
Ensure that the club wins the Ligue 1 this season
PSG are not just expected to do well in the Ligue 1, winning the French top flight is a minimum requirement of being the manager of the French giants.
PSG have not been exactly dominating the league this season and this is what led to the sacking of Tuchel. PSG are currently third in the Ligue 1 standings, behind Lille and Lyon.
It will be up to Pochettino to ensure that the team finishes the Ligue 1 season in pole position.
Bolster the squad and retain the stars
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are two of the world’s best players and both have been linked with moves away from PSG.
It is safe to say that Neymar has not had the success he would have hoped to have since moving to PSG in 2017.
He has been linked with a move back to former club Barcelona and with the Blaugrana not doing well by their standards, they may try to lure him back to the Camp Nou.
There is no doubt that the best clubs in the world will also be trying to lure Mbappe.
Pochettino must try and keep the duo if he wants to make PSG the best club in the world.
He will also be tasked with improving the Parsian’s first team. Four players from Tottenham that a lot of PSG fans would love to see in their club are Hugo Lloris, Dele Alli, Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane. The chances are high that Pochettino will succeed in reuniting with at least one or two of them in France.
Win the Champions League
The reason why PSG are not considered among the elite clubs in world football is because they have yet to win the Champions League in the modern era.
Pochettino’s mandate will be to get that off the bucket list. His previous best in Europe’s premier club competition was leading Spurs to the final in the 2018/19 season before they were outplayed by Liverpool in the final.
He will now have to go one step further and win the tournament.