Pochettino’s past causing division among the Barcelona board.
Former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino quickly became the leading candidate to take over at Barcelona following the team’s humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
However, not everyone at the club is sold on him.
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According to Diario AS, a move for the Argentine has caused division among the higher-ups because of his Espanyol past and his comments from a couple of years ago where he said that he’d rather work back on his farm in Argentina than manage Barcelona.
The report also claims that heavyweights in the Barcelona dressing room are also against the move. They would prefer former club legend Xavi Hernandez to take over.
Pochettino had been linked with taking over when the club sacked Ernesto Valverde. But they opted for Quique Setien instead.
Spanish radio program Carrusel Deportivo are also reporting that his Espanyol past is the biggest roadblock in hiring him.
🚨"NO PODEMOS FICHAR A POCHETTINO"
— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) August 15, 2020
🗣️ Información @carrusel
👉🏽"Ya hay directivos del FC Barcelona que le han dicho a Bartomeu que NO SE PUEDE FICHAR A POCHETTINO por las palabras y el pasado del técnico y porque la afición se les va a echar encima" pic.twitter.com/29U406gFVp
They go on to state that there would be plenty of supporter backlash if they were to appoint Pochettino. An interesting excuse given they did not seem to take that into account after the Liverpool defeat when plenty of the supporters were asking for him to be sacked.
Barcelona compiling a list of potential managerial replacements.
With mixed reaction towards hiring Pochettino, there are other names being linked with the job.
Xavi Hernandez has already said that he does not believe it is the right time to return and is likely waiting until the elections and the end of the current board.
Current Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman has become the favorite to take over should they decide not to pursue Pochettino. Koeman is interested in the job and would be willing to leave the national team. A change from the last time they approached him as he cited managing Netherlands in the Euros as the reason he didn’t want to take over.
The problem with Koeman is that he’s had limited success in the teams he’s managed. He led Valencia to a Copa del Rey title but was sacked after only six months. The players weren’t particularly fond of him and it’s said they won the cup in spite of him.
That his Espanyol past is coming back to haunt Mauricio Pochettino is comical. The club had no qualms about it when they hired Ernesto Valverde. No qualms about it when they signed Philippe Coutinho.
What Barcelona need is to hire the right manager and begin the process of a clear out. From all the names thrown about, Pochettino is the best person for the job. He managed to take Spurs to a Champions League final which is not something any of the Barcelona mangers of the past five years can say.
Unless Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola decide they are ready to move on, there are not that many world class managers available at the moment. At the very least Pochettino would command respect.
He may not have won titles while at Spurs but he had them playing attractive football. Also he has the personality and dealt with high-profile players that ensures he won’t be pushed around and will make the tough decisions, like when to drop a player, when they present themselves.