| Intro | Argentine professional footballer and manager |
| A.K.A. | Mauricio Roberto Pochettino, Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero |
| Is |
Sports official Athlete Football player Association football player Association football manager |
| From | Argentina |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 2 March 1972, Santa Fe Province |
| Age: | 48 years |
Mauricio Roberto Pochettino (Spanish pronunciation: [mauˈɾisjo potʃeˈtino], Italian: [poketˈtino]; born 2 March 1972) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, and is the current manager of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
He spent 17 years as a professional player, ten of which were in La Liga with Espanyol where he scored 13 goals in 275 games. He also played in France for two clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux, having started his career with Newell’s Old Boys. An Argentina international for three years, he represented the country at the 2002 World Cup and the 1999 Copa América.
Pochettino began his managerial career at Espanyol in January 2009, remaining in the post for nearly four years. He then managed in the Premier League, first with Southampton, followed by Tottenham Hotspur.
Playing career
Club
Newell’s
Pochettino was born in Murphy, Santa Fe. The son of a farm laborer, his first introduction to football was the 1978 FIFA World Cup which he watched with his father Héctor at the local club. After being scouted by José Griffa and his future manager Marcelo Bielsa at age 14, in 1987 he moved to Newell’s Old Boys, making his debut in the Primera División in 1988.
During his five-year tenure, Pochettino won the 1990–91 national championship as well as the 1992 Clausura. Bielsa eventually became Newell’s manager during this time, and his coaching methods and philosophy would have a significant impact on the young player. The side reached the final of the Copa Libertadores, where he scored a crucial goal away to Colombian champions América de Cali in the semi-final.
Espanyol / France
Aged 22, Pochettino then moved to RCD Espanyol in Spain for the 1994–95 season, as part of the intake of players accompanying the Catalans upon their return to La Liga. He soon established himself as an automatic first-team starter during his six-and-a-half years at the club, helping it to the 2000 conquest of the Copa del Rey. By then, he had developed a reputation as a tough, uncompromising central defender.
In late January 2001, Pochettino signed for Paris Saint-Germain FC. He was also a regular starter during his stay, and moved to fellow Ligue 1 side FC Girondins de Bordeaux for the 2003–04 campaign. However, he returned to Espanyol, initially on loan before the move was made permanent, midway through his first year where he continued to play for two-and-a-half more seasons before wrapping up his career at age 34 with another domestic cup victory.
International
In 1992, Pochettino played for the Argentina under-23 team at the CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament in Paraguay, which saw them fail to qualify for the 1992 Summer Olympics. He gained 20 caps for the full side over a period of four years and was a participant at the 2002 World Cup, appearing in three complete matches as the nation exited in the group stage.
Pochettino’s most newsworthy contribution to the tournament came during the second group stage game, against England, when Italian referee Pierluigi Collina awarded Argentina’s opponents a penalty after Pochettino brought down Michael Owen in the box. The resulting kick was converted by David Beckham for the match’s only goal.
Managerial career
Espanyol
In late January 2009, Pochettino became Espanyol’s third coach in 2008–09, with the team third from bottom of the table. Tasked with saving them from relegation, he had just recently completed his UEFA Pro License and had spent a short spell as the assistant manager to the ladies’ team but was otherwise untested as a coach. His first match was at home to neighbouring FC Barcelona in the Spanish Cup, managed by Pep Guardiola. Despite his players’ reluctance and only being able to avail of two training sessions prior to the game, his system of high-pressing and one-on-one defensive cover yielded an unexpected 0–0 draw; after he had asked for “divine intervention” the side’s fortunes improved and they eventually finished the season comfortably mid-table with their most significant result being a 2–1 victory in the league derby against Barcelona, their first in the competition at the Camp Nou for 27 years. He coached nine players who were his teammates during his last year active and, in early June, renewed his link for a further three years.
In 2009–10, Pochettino once again led Espanyol to a comfortable league position, in a campaign where club symbol (and his former teammate) Raúl Tamudo fell out of favour, particularly after the January 2010 arrival of the manager’s compatriot Dani Osvaldo. On 28 September 2010, he agreed to a one-year extension at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat which ran until 30 June 2012, and in May of the following year further renewed his contract until 2014. On 26 November 2012, however, following a 0–2 home loss against Getafe CF that left the team in last place with just nine points from 13 matches and with the manager complaining about the financial restrictions being placed upon him, his contract was terminated by mutual consent at the end of that month.
Despite the lowly league position, Pochettino’s work had drawn praise from commentators and he was beginning to display the characteristics that would inform his coaching at his subsequent clubs, namely the imposition of a specific tactical style on all of the clubs’ team from the senior side down to youth level, attending training sessions to receive updates from all levels, a preference for 4–2–3–1, a focus on a high-pressing game and the promotion of players from the academy to the first team.
Southampton
On 18 January 2013, Pochettino was announced as the new first-team manager of Premier League club Southampton, replacing Nigel Adkins and becoming the second Argentine manager in English football after Osvaldo Ardiles. His first match in charge was five days later, a 0–0 draw against Everton at St Mary’s Stadium. He recorded his first win on 9 February, 3–1 at home over reigning champions Manchester City.
Despite knowing English, Pochettino initially used a Spanish interpreter in press conferences as a way to fully express his views. He led the Saints to notable victories against other top league sides, including a 3–1 home win over Liverpool and a 2–1 success against Chelsea also at St Mary’s.
In his first full season at Southampton, Pochettino led the team to an eighth-placed finish, their highest league position since 1989–90 (a position they also reached in 2002–03), while also recording their highest points tally since the Premier League began in 1992–93.
Tottenham Hotspur
On 27 May 2014, Pochettino was appointed head coach of Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract, becoming their tenth manager over a 12-year span. The following 28 January, the team reached the final of the League Cup following a 3–2 aggregate win over Sheffield United, only to be beaten 2–0 by Chelsea in the decisive game at Wembley Stadium. In the domestic league, his first season was generally successful, ending in a fifth-placed finish and the conversion of several young academy players into regular first team players; he put one of those graduates, Harry Kane, as starting striker at the expense of Spanish international Roberto Soldado, a gamble which paid off as Kane and his teammates Dele Alli and Eric Dier were touted as the potential basis for the England squad at UEFA Euro 2016.
Tottenham were in contention to win the league in 2015–16, but on 2 May 2016 they drew 2–2 against Chelsea, handing the title to Leicester City. The game at Stamford Bridge saw Spurs receive a league record nine yellow cards, and Pochettino entered the pitch in the first half to separate his left back Danny Rose from a confrontation with Willian.
On 12 May 2016, Pochettino agreed to an extension to his contract, committing him to the club until 2021. It was also confirmed that his title had changed from that of “head coach” to “manager”, although he confirmed that the role itself was no different.
Managerial style
Pochettino favours a very high-pressing, attacking style of football. He often employs a 4–2–3–1 formation at the clubs he manages. While doing so, he instructs his team to build from the back, intimidate and unsettle opponents with a quick press system and work the ball into the box.
Pochettino’s team selection tends to include quick players with excellent stamina, likely due to those players having the attributes to excel in a high press system. He is also hailed by many pundits for his focus on developing local players from the clubs’ youth academies.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newell’s Old Boys | 1988–89 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| 1989–90 | 30 | 0 | – | – | – | 30 | 0 | ||||
| 1990–91 | 34 | 4 | – | – | – | 34 | 4 | ||||
| 1991–92 | 28 | 3 | – | – | – | 28 | 3 | ||||
| 1992–93 | 32 | 1 | – | – | – | 32 | 1 | ||||
| 1993–94 | 25 | 0 | – | – | – | 25 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 153 | 8 | – | – | – | 153 | 8 | ||||
| Espanyol | 1994–95 | 34 | 0 | – | – | – | 34 | 0 | |||
| 1995–96 | 39 | 3 | 9 | 0 | – | – | 48 | 3 | |||
| 1996–97 | 37 | 3 | 6 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 47 | 3 | ||
| 1997–98 | 35 | 2 | – | – | – | 35 | 2 | ||||
| 1998–99 | 26 | 0 | – | – | – | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 1999–2000 | 29 | 1 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2000–01 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | 24 | 2 | ||
| Total | 216 | 11 | 24 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | 250 | 11 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2000–01 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2001–02 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 2002–03 | 35 | 2 | – | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 4 | ||
| Total | 70 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 95 | 6 | |
| Bordeaux | 2003–04 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Espanyol | 2003–04 | 21 | 1 | – | – | – | 21 | 1 | |||
| 2004–05 | 27 | 1 | – | – | – | 27 | 1 | ||||
| 2005–06 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 3 | 1 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Total | 59 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 3 | 1 | 64 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 509 | 26 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 2 | 578 | 29 | |
International
| Argentina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1999 | 6 | 1 |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 1 |
| 2002 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 2 |
International goals
- Scores and results list Argentina’s goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 17 November 1999 | La Cartuja, Seville, Spain | Spain | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 7 October 2001 | Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay | Paraguay | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 4 February 2017
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Espanyol | 20 January 2009 | 26 November 2012 | 7002161000000000000♠161 | 7001530000000000000♠53 | 7001380000000000000♠38 | 7001700000000000000♠70 | 7001329000000000000♠32.9 | |
| Southampton | 18 January 2013 | 27 May 2014 | 7001600000000000000♠60 | 7001230000000000000♠23 | 7001180000000000000♠18 | 7001190000000000000♠19 | 7001383009999900000♠38.3 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 27 May 2014 | Present | 7002144000000000000♠144 | 7001740000000000000♠74 | 7001370000000000000♠37 | 7001330000000000000♠33 | 7001514000000000000♠51.4 | |
| Total | 7002365000000000000♠365 | 7002150000000000000♠150 | 7001930000000000000♠93 | 7002122000000000000♠122 | 7001411000000000000♠41.1 | — | ||
Honours
Player
- Newell’s Old Boys
- Argentine Primera División: 1990–91, Clausura 1992
- Espanyol
- Copa del Rey: 1999–2000, 2005–06
Individual
- Premier League Manager of the Month: October 2013, September 2015, February 2016
- “Mauricio Pochettino excited by his mix of young and old at Tottenham”. The Guardian. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- “Pochettino wins Manager of the Month”. Southampton F.C. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- “Pochettino wins Manager of the Month”. Sky Sports. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- “Mauricio Pochettino named Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month for February after four straight Tottenham wins”. Daily Mail. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.