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PSG sack Mauricio Pochettino, Christophe Galtier named as new head coach

The 50-year-old Argentinian taskmaster took over the side in January 2021 and finished second in Ligue 1 behind Lille while falling short against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semifinal.

PSG

Bengaluru, July 5: Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino, ending his tumultous 18-month stint with the Ligue 1 champions.

The 50-year-old Argentinian taskmaster had assumed office in January 2021, and finished second in Ligue 1 behind Lille while falling short against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semifinal.

Pochettino then led the side to a Ligue 1 title while also clinching the French Cup last season.

"Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club.

The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future," PSG tweeted from their official handle.

Former Lyon and Nice coach Christophe Galtier was later named as PSG's new head coach.

Pochettino simply became the latest in a succession of top-class coaches to fall short of the Qatari owner Nasser Al Khelaifis' ultimate goal -- winning the UEFA Champions League.

Frankly, when rumours of Pochettino's departure began to swirl in June, few would have been surprised. In reality, he's looked close to the brink for most of his 18 months in charge - some might even suggest he was lucky to have lasted this long.

Rumour Has It: Pochettino facing PSG sack and could turn to Man UtdRumour Has It: Pochettino facing PSG sack and could turn to Man Utd

His brief time in charge clearly was not seen as much of an excuse given there were reports claiming his job was already under threat by April 2021.

Talk of a potential return to Tottenham surfaced and then evaporated as PSG seemingly opted to stand by him, with the fact he got them to the Champions League semifinals potentially showing there was a reason for optimism.

PSG fans

And then there was the connection with fellow Rosario-native and boyhood Newell's Old Boys fan Lionel Messi.

While Pochettino could not solely be blamed for Messi not hitting similar heights to his Barcelona days, it is fair to say their connection has proven only anecdotal.

Perhaps Pochettino was wrong to take the job in the first place. Given Al Khelaifi's tendency to throw money around with little regard, placing greatest importance on big-reputation signings, there was always likely to be an element of the club being mismatched with a coach whose teams are typically hard-working.

Of course, Pochettino does depart having won three trophies, including this season's Ligue 1 title. But at PSG, that is not even the bare minimum these days if good progress is not made in Europe.

Galtier's challenge

Now, Galtier is the man who has been trusted to take over at PSG, strongly supported by new sporting director Luis Campos.

Campos and Galtier have worked together previously when they combined at Lille to create the team that pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title by a point in 2020-21.

Galtier left Lille days after they won that championship, joining Nice.

But he spent only a single season on the French Riviera - finishing fifth and reaching the Coupe de France final - before leaving late last month, with Nice bringing back Lucien Favre as his replacement.

That move came as speculation persisted around Galtier's move to PSG, with Pochettino's exit anticipated since the end of last season.

Pochettino's departure was confirmed just hours before Galtier appeared alongside Al Khelaifi at a press conference.

Galtier will be tasked with finally ending PSG's wait for Champions League glory, their latest failure in the competition coming in a second-leg collapse against eventual winners Real Madrid in the last 16.

He becomes the club's sixth coach since 2012.

(With inputs from PSG Media)

Story first published: Tuesday, July 5, 2022, 20:15 [IST]
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