Pochettino’s Timely Social Media Post Following Conte’s Sacking from Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino has returned from a vacation in Japan, just as his former club Tottenham Hotspur parted ways with Antonio Conte, sparking speculation of a return.
After Tottenham parted ways with Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino posted a timely reminder that he is back in London.
Pochettino led the north London club for five and a half years, leading them to the Champions League final in 2019 before being fired six months later. He then spent a season and a half at Paris Saint-Germain before being fired at the end of last season.
Despite leading PSG to the Ligue 1 title in his only full season in charge, the Argentine has been out of the game for ten months. His club’s failures on the European stage eventually sealed his fate in Paris.
Conte’s departure from Tottenham follows his remarkable post-match press conference following last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Southampton. Cristian Stellini has been named as the North London club’s acting head coach for the remainder of the season, with Ryan Mason serving as his assistant.
🗣️ "The perception never matches the reality."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) March 27, 2023
Mauricio Pochettino speaking in 2019 about how he was treated more like a head coach than a manager at Tottenham 👀 pic.twitter.com/lcU2LsxytK
Pochettino, whose family has been living in London, has now returned from a vacation in Japan, sparking speculation that he could make a sensational return to the Premier League.
Pochettino is a leading candidate to return to Tottenham Hotspur, the club that fired him in November 2019. That was less than six months after he had led Tottenham to their first-ever Champions League final, with the club languishing in 14th place in the Premier League – albeit just six points off the top five.
He had been in charge at Spurs for five and a half seasons, leading the club to three consecutive top-three league finishes, including second place in the 2016/17 season, as well as European success in his final season.
Pochettino took over as PSG manager in January 2021, replacing the fired Thomas Tuchel, and within two weeks had won his first trophy, leading his team to the Trophée des Champions by defeating Marseille. Despite defeating Monaco in the Coupe de France final, the season was not remembered fondly as PSG were beaten to the Ligue 1 title by huge underdogs Lille.
The Argentine led PSG to the Coupe de France in his first half-season and then won his first league title as manager last season, but it was not enough to compensate for the team’s European failure, as they were eliminated in the Round of 16 against Real Madrid after blowing a 2-0 aggregate lead.
When Pochettino’s name was read out ahead of kickoff at a Ligue 1 match during the season, large sections of the PSG crowd booed, amid reports that he would leave the club. It came after a major supporters’ protest during a Ligue 1 match against Rennes, in which they blasted the club’s ‘overpaid mercenaries’ and attacked the board, with Pochettino not escaping their wrath.
