What will Pochettino bring to PSG?

Mauricio is back! Despite months of speculation linking him with Manchester United, it is his old club in the French capital that convinced him to take up managing duties once more. But what is it the French club see in him, and what changes should we expect to see from PSG tactically?

Why Pochettino? Why now?

Thomas Tuchel, despite bringing PSG to the Champions League final last season, was informed of the decision to sack him following his sides 4-0 demolition of Strasbourg on the 23rd December. After a couple of weeks of negotiations, the worst kept secret in world football was made public; Mauricio Pochettino was to return to the club he once played for as the new head coach of PSG.

The reasons behind Tuchel's sacking are plain to see - 3rd in Ligue 1, and not totally dominant in the Champions League, the board sought new leadership. You must understand, part of the criteria for taking on this job is that you win the French league with ease, looking totally dominant whilst doing it.

The real prize is of course the Champions League, winning domestic leagues and cups is a given in the eyes of the board, and it should be. The PSG squad is far, far superior to anything else in the French league and whilst anything can happen in football, PSG have not spent the big bucks to win the league on the last day of the season in a closely fought title race, let alone not win it at all.

Thomas Tuchel lost his job less than three months after guiding PSG to their first Champions League final.

With that in mind, one would question why they have turned to Pochettino to cure them of this 'Champions League Curse' when no previous silverware follows him to Paris. Make no mistake, PSG moved for him for a reason. One contributing factor would of course be that he has been at the club before, albeit before the takeover in 2011, but he knows what the club is about, something that seems to be criminally unimportant in the medias eyes. He also brings an attractive style of football, but perhaps most importantly, his man-management skills are revered - a trait that will prove invaluable in a team full of superstars.

What to expect from PSG tactically

Thomas Tuchel's tactical principles focused around the idea that every player should have at least two passing options when receiving the at all times. This included a centre back split when the goalkeeper had the ball and a number of small 'diamonds' being formed all over the pitch. This 'positional/zonal' approach worked well for a time in Ligue 1, when teams would park the bus and hope for the best against them, but more daring teams like Lyon, Monaco and Lille caught on and found a way to disrupt the system; simply press every player on the pitch.

Tuchel often wanted PSG players to form 'diamonds' throughout the pitch to avoid conceding possession through mistakes; the players would have a minimum of two passing options to choose from.

PSG players under Tuchel often froze when they lost the ball in a dangerous area for the opposition to exploit. This was because training centred around the idea that with these 'diamonds' that very few mistakes could be made. No great contingency plan was formed on the basis of making mistakes, and they dropped points because of it. Expect big changes here, Pochettino brings a pressing system with high intensity running both defensively and offensively and will expect his players to make mistakes and have plans in place to recover.

Pochettino will bring the 4-2-3-1 formation that he has always used to Paris. The formation quickly morphs into a 3-4-2-1 in attack to great effect, allowing the full backs to bomb forward safely in the knowledge that they were well covered behind. This would usually be the case when any of the three attacking midfielders (usually Christian Eriksen at Spurs) would drop from his advanced position into the space we would associate with the two defensively orientated midfielders. From there, one of the defensive midfielders (usually Eric Dier) would drop deeper into a 'half-back' role, splitting the two centre backs to create a back three with Dier in the middle. This then created an opportunity for the full backs to get forward and the rest of the midfield, as well as Kane, to get into or around the box ready to receive a cross or pass.

In defence, Pochettino deployed a very aggressive press from the front, in order to force mistakes from defenders and goalkeepers. These principles translate really well into this PSG team on paper, both their defence and midfield are wonderfully deep, with a really nice mixture of system and 'flair' players. I expect Pochettino to stick to these principles (although convincing Neymar to press may be a challenge) whilst also getting the best out of his attackers.

I see this as a really nice transition for Pochettino due to the similarities of the squads, especially in the knowledge that almost every PSG player is superior to what he had at Spurs, with the exception of Kane over Icardi. Pochettino needs wonderful attacking talent mixed with some creative midfield options, one out and out defensive midfielder and a strong back-line. PSG have all of this and more, so getting these players to fit into this system shouldn't be a problem. It will be interesting to see if Icardi still makes the starting squad, as I think he may opt to put Kylian Mbappe through the middle with Di Maria on the right, leaving no space for the former Inter captain.

Transfers

Of course, taking on the enormous pressure and expectation of being the PSG head coach does come with the perk of having a rather large transfer budget. Despite my earlier comments about the squads amazing depth, Pochettino will definitely see areas in which he wishes to improve. The media are of course linking exiles and former players Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen with moves to Paris, and for once, I can actually see it. Usually whenever a manager moves to a new club you see them linked with every single one of their former players, but this time I can genuinely see it. Both players are in precarious positions at their current clubs and have spoken about how they would love to work with Pochettino again. This, added with the assurance of a pay raise seems a good enough incentive to follow their former boss to Paris.

Creative midfielders are a little sparse at the French capital, with the players they do have either liking to create from deep (such as Leandro Parades) or drift ultra-wide (such as Di Maria, who often plays as a wide attacking midfielder or an out and out winger), so either Alli or Eriksen could solve that problem for Pochettino. I don't see a serious deficiency that needs urgent address other than that position for PSG, but Pochettino may see some gaps in the team he would like to fill during this window.

Even then, I do not believe the purchase of either of those players is a necessity, but it will speed up the process of getting these players used to the new way they are going to be playing football.

Could we see a reunion for these two at the Parc des Princes?

Moise Kean looks set to make his loan stay a permanent one, with PSG happy to offer £31 million to Everton, which I believe will be enough for The Toffee's to let him go. The Italian has been on scintillating form in Paris, and he is very popular amongst fans, players and coaching staff alike, so expect that deal to be confirmed in the coming weeks (if not, the summer).

Anything else to look out for?

Expect Pochettino's man management to earn the love and respect of the superstar team that he has inherited. Tottenham's dressing room was full of big characters and whilst he has a bigger challenge on his hands in Paris, I expect him to flourish. Photos have already emerged of his first training session with the squad, hugging and laughing with Kylian Mbappe. I similarly predict that his interviews will endear him to the French fans and media, as they did in England.

Pochettino pictured with superstar Kylian Mbappe whilst taking his first training session with his new side.

In terms of trophies, I can see this squad recovering their league position in the dominant fashion, as is expected of them. But, the big one - can he win the Champions League within six months of taking the job? Whilst I think it is a very competitive competition this season (more so than normal), I certainly would not rule PSG out. I'd look more to next year however, when he has had a bit more time to integrate not just his tactical systems, but to reflect his personality on his team.

Whatever his trophy haul looks like at the end of the season, it is great to see Pochettino back in management. Annoyingly, it has suddenly made PSG a lot more likeable, and that's coming from a begrudging Manchester United fan...