Paris St Germain’s Sergio Ramos , Lionel Messi , Marco Verratti and Georginio Wijnaldum during training at the Ooredoo Training Centre, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, November 19, 2021. — Reuters pic
PARIS, Nov 19 — Paris St Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino said coaching the Ligue 1 side with “the best players in the world” was not easy as he had to manage their emotions as well as their entourages.
Pochettino was appointed by PSG at the start of the year in the hope the Argentine would guide the club to an elusive Champions League crown.
PSG enjoy an embarrassment of riches in attack with Lionel Messi joining forces with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe while Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Julian Draxler are also options, leaving Pochettino with selection headaches every week.
“We manage people with emotions, everyone’s behaviour is not a flat line. It’s a succession of ups and downs — one is happy, another is hurt, one is performing well, another not,” Pochettino told L’Equipe.
“I think the most important thing for the staff is to try to balance the moods.
“We must not forget that we have in our hands the best players in the world, but also their families, their media entourages, their followers. It’s not easy.”
PSG, who are 10 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and play Nantes at home tomorrow, failed to defend the league title last season while they fell at the semi-final stage in the Champions League.
Pochettino, who was previously manager at Tottenham Hotspur and guided them to a Champions League final, said the requirements at the French side were vastly different, with an expectation of immediate success.
“PSG wants to win. To win the Champions League, the Championship, the Cup — all the matches. They didn’t come looking for us to build a project, asking us what we needed to develop our ideas, or what we like,” he added.
“We came here to adapt and to win, with the structure and characteristics of the players who are here.” — Reuters