Mauricio Pochettino must deliver top prizes at PSG following acquisition of Lionel Messi
Despite the impact Mauricio Pochettino made at Espanyol, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, suspicions remain about whether he is a manager capable of delivering the game's biggest prizes.
It was a tag that was stuck to Pochettino during his time in North London when he was unable to lead Tottenham to silverware despite having a very talented squad under him.
There were some near misses, with Pochettino coming close to winning the Premier League in 2016. They were also losing efforts in the League Cup final in 2015 and the UEFA Champions League final in 2019.
However, Pochettino was never able to get over the line during his time in England and he was sacked in November of 2019. After a break from the game, Mauricio Pochettino joined Paris Saint Germain in January this year. In Paris, he has finally managed to add those elusive trophies to his impressive CV. winning a French Cup and the French Super Cup in the 2020-21 season.
Despite that success, Pochettino and PSG were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League at the semi-final stage by Manchester City. They also missed out on the Ligue 1 title by one point to Lille.
The loss of their league title was particularly disappointing, with Pochettino losing four league matches during his first half-season in charge.
In the 2021-22 campaign, the priority for Mauricio Pochettino will not be winning minor domestic cups. The PSG manager will be focused on winning the first league title of his managerial career and finally delivering the elusive UEFA Champions League trophy that the club craves.
The signing of Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest to play the game, from Barcelona undoubtedly increases PSG and Mauricio Pochettino's chances of winning the UEFA Champions League. The Argentine superstar has four winner's medals in the competition and is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 120 goals in 149 appearances.
However, his acquisition from cash-strapped Barcelona also significantly increases the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino to deliver success on Europe's biggest stage.
With an attacking lineup of Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, Pochettino arguably has the three greatest attacking talents in the world at his disposal. The additions of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum has also strengthened the squad significantly.
Ramos and Wijnaldum having previously won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively.
Mauricio Pochettino has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, which is why the powers that be in charge of PSG will expect him to deliver the goods in the 2021-22 season.