Why Mauricio Pochettino has ex-Liverpool star to thank for managerial breakthrough ahead of Manchester United appointment
Mauricio Pochettino’s managerial career in English football first materialised because Southampton officials travelled to Spain to scout Philippe Coutinho, the Argentine revealed in an exclusive interview with FourFourTwo earlier this year.
With Pochettino now heavily linked with and expected to take over the Manchester United post, more light is being shed on the 52-year-old’s initial move to the Premier League.
In January 2013, Southampton dismissed Nigel Adkins despite the club sitting in relative safety following back-to-back promotions. Chairman Nicola Cortese appointed Pochettino, who had left Espanyol two months earlier. The connection, however, was made while Cortese and sporting director Paul Mitchell were running checks on Coutinho, who was on loan at the Catalan side from Inter Milan, and would later complete an £8.5 million transfer to Liverpool.
Pochettino: ‘Southampton came to scout Coutinho and ended up hiring me six months later’
“In England, nobody knew who I was,” Pochettino said. “[Former Southampton chairman] Nicola Cortese is another key figure in my career. They were tracking Philippe Coutinho, who was on loan with us at Espanyol, and came to a match.
“Both Nicola and the sporting director, Paul Mitchell, became interested in the way I coached and expressed myself on the touchline. Six months later, they called me to take the job. Nicola took a real gamble – he had the courage to make that appointment because the club was in a comfortable position in the Premier League, having achieved back-to-back promotions. It was a risky move for him, but he also knew what we were capable of doing.”
Pochettino’s arrival at St Mary’s was initially met with scepticism in the English press due to the timing of Adkins’ sacking, particularly given he initially conducted post-match interviews in Spanish with the help of a translator. However, the Argentine explained that a language barrier helped shield him from the immediate fallout.
“Not at all,” Pochettino said when asked if the reaction generated any undue pressure. “We were young and full of confidence. I had the advantage of not speaking English at the beginning, so I wasn’t reading or listening to anything – I paid no attention to the media.
“I was a bit isolated from everything, living in my own bubble. My assistant Jesus Perez acted as a filter and only told me what was truly important.”
Pochettino quickly implemented an aggressive, high-pressing system on the south coast, leaning heavily on young domestic talent including current Man United defender Luke Shaw and future Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana.
“We had players who were physically like jets, perfectly suited to how we wanted to play – a style built on aggression and intensity,” Pochettino said.
“Technically they were good, but the best thing was their potential to improve even further. We were a perfect match.
“In England, the ones who began to introduce a different kind of football were Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool and us at Southampton, with our build-up and high attacking press.”
With Man United’s hierarchy holding talks over Michael Carrick’s position following a return of one win from ten league games, Pochettino is very much in the frame to be the next man up. For a manager now positioned to take over at Old Trafford, his initial entry into English football remains tied to a scouting trip for an ex-Liverpool star.
