Barcelona’s Champions League opponent fires manager

Barcelona are set to play PSG in the Champions League round of 16.

A new wrinkle has emerged ahead of the Champions League match between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain as the French side have fired their manager Thomas Tuchel.

In a surprising, yet not shocking, move PSG have decided to part ways with Tuchel following a poor start, by their standards, in Ligue 1.

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According to Sport, the final nail in the coffin for Tuchel was an interview he gave with German outlet Sport 1 that did not sit well with his bosses back in Paris.

While PSG sit in third place, only one point behind leaders Lyon, they’ve already lost four matches this season. Highly unusual for a team who is used to dominating the French league considering the amount of money the club spends.

This could have significant implications for Barcelona despite their first match still being two months away.

The Catalans are now going to face a side with a new manager. It may take time for a new manager to implement his system and a style of play. It could have its bumps in the road as Barcelona learned when they hired Quique Setien and are currently going through under Ronald Koeman.

The point being that a tie in which PSG were seen as favorites, the tide could be switching back in Barcelona’s favor.

As for who could take over for Tuchel, the consensus is that it will be former Tottenham boss, Mauricio Pochettino.

According to The Guardian, the Argentine manager only has to iron out a few details before his appointment becomes official.

Pochettino has history against Barcelona as he was the manager when they played against Tottenham in the Champions League a couple of seasons ago. He also faced off against them when he was managing Espanyol.

More recently, he was one of the names rumored to be taking over when the club fired Setien. He was the leading candidate but his Espanyol past played a role against him as Bartomeu and his board opted for Koeman instead.

What remains evident now more than ever, and it applies to both teams, is that success in the league is not enough anymore. All that seems to matter now is Champions League glory.