Why PSG Firing Mauricio Pochettino Is No Surprise At All
Mauricio Pochettino will not be in charge of Paris Saint-Germain next season after the decision was made to fire him.
The axe falls on Pochettino despite him leading PSG to the Ligue 1 title by a margin of 15 points.
But Qatar Sports Investments, the company that owns PSG, has very high standards and Pochettino did not live up to them.
Nor had Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery or Thomas Tuchel. All three of PSG's previous managers won the league and all were ultimately disposed of.
Blanc, Emery and Tuchel all won a greater percentage of their matches than Pochettino too.
Recent Records Of PSG Managers
| Who | When | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laurent Blanc | 2013 - 2016 | 173 | 126 | 31 | 16 | 391 | 126 | +265 | 72.83 |
Unai Emery | 2016 - 2018 | 114 | 87 | 15 | 12 | 312 | 92 | +220 | 76.32 |
Thomas Tuchel | 2018 - 2020 | 127 | 95 | 13 | 19 | 337 | 103 | +234 | 74.80 |
Mauricio Pochettino | 2021 - 2022 | 84 | 55 | 15 | 14 | 186 | 78 | +108 | 65.48 |
Pochettino's big failure last season came in Europe. PSG outplayed Real Madrid for two and a half hours, before blowing a 2-0 aggregate lead to lose 3-2 in the Champions League round of 16.
But that was not the only nail in Pochettino's coffin.
PSG are expected to dominate domestically. It therefore becomes about how they win Ligue 1, rather than if they do.
Pochettino actually failed to conquer French football in his first season though, losing to Lille by one point after arriving midway through the campaign.
Mauricio Pochettino will not be Paris Saint-Germain's head coach next season
IMAGO/NurPhoto/Jose Breton
Although he steered the ship to title glory 12 months later, he did not do so with as much pzazz as some of his predecessors.
PSG scored 90 goals in 38 league games. Not a bad haul on the face of it, but in the four full Ligue 1 seasons prior to Pochettino's arrival in France, the champions had always broken the 100-goal barrier.
Pochettino may not have broken the 100-goal barrier with PSG, but he will not leave as a broken manager either.
He will still be a standout candidate the next time a big club decides it is time for a change.
The PSG job was never a good fit for Pochettino, but there are many that will be.