PSG sacks coach Pochettino and expected to hire Galtier
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked and Christophe Galtier is expected to be confirmed as the new coach on Tuesday.
Pochettino had one year left on his contract and is the fourth straight coach to be fired by PSG.
“Paris Saint-Germain confirms it has ended its collaboration with Mauricio Pochettino,” the club said in a statement. “The club wishes to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future.”
Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Unai Emery and Laurent Blanc have all been fired since 2016.
Pochettino won the French league but ultimately paid the price for the club’s humiliating exit from the Champions League to Real Madrid in the round of 16. PSG led 2-0 on aggregate and conceded three goals inside 20 minutes.
Galtier led Lille to the French title in 2021 and joined Nice last season, finishing fifth but knocking PSG out of the French Cup.
Since cash-rich Qatari investors QSI took over in June 2011, Carlo Ancelotti is the only coach not to be fired, leaving for Real Madrid in 2013. But Ancelotti was hired only after Antoine Kombouare was astonishingly axed in December 2011, despite PSG being three points clear at the top.
POCHETTINO’S MIXED RECORD
Former PSG defender Pochettino took charge in January 2021, after Tuchel was fired.
After reaching the semifinals of the Champions League in 2021, PSG lost the league to Galtier’s Lille. Oddly, perhaps, Pochettino’s contract was extended by one year to 2023.
Even though PSG reclaimed the French title last season there were alarmingly poor performances along the way, and Kylian Mbappe’s outstanding form papered over glaring cracks.
These weaknesses were ruthlessly exposed by Madrid in the return leg of their Champions League last 16 match.
PSG’s lack of composure under pressure has been a familiar flaw, and Pochettino did not fix it.
In 2017, PSG was beaten 6-1 by Barcelona after winning 4-0 at home, and two years later injury-hit Manchester United won 3-1 in Paris in injury time.
HIRE AND FIRE
Like Pochettino, Blanc signed a new contract before he was shown the door, exposing PSG’s impatience and an apparent indifference to massive compensation packages.
Pochettino and his staff reportedly received around 10 million euros ($10.6 million).
The negotiations with Pochettino dragged on but it had been expected for weeks that he would be replaced.
Last month, PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi said former Madrid coach Zidane Zidane was not approached for the job.
“We have never spoken with him, neither directly or indirectly,” al-Khelaifi said in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper.
The collapse against Madrid prompted PSG’s first introspective overhaul under QSI’s stewardship. Sporting director Leonardo made way for renowned talent scout Luis Campos, and several former standout PSG players will act as consultants.
Al-Khelaifi demanded an improved mentality.
“We want players who love the club, who want to fight,” al-Khelaifi told Le Parisien. “We want players who give everything for the shirt and then we’ll see. We must be humble.”
The club’s glossy image-chasing — with its curated slogan of “Dream Bigger” and brazen boasts of future glory — was at alarming odds with repeated Champions League failures.
“We must stop saying ,‘We’re going to win this and we’re going to win that,’” al-Khelaifi said. “A player who wants to stay in his comfort zone, who doesn’t want to fight, will be left out. We need to create a real team and team spirit.”
So living in the future is finally over?
“Dreaming is one thing, reality is another. Perhaps we should change our slogan ‘Dream Bigger,’” al-Khelaifi said. “We don’t want to be flashy and bling bling. We must ask ourselves how to improve.”
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