"What coach wouldn't want to work with Mbappé?"
Mauricio Pochettino was interviewed on the El Larguero late night radio show on Cadena SER and offered an overview of his initial spell in charge of the French side.
New PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino was interviewed by journalist Manu Carreño on the El Larguero show (Cadena SER). The Argentine coach was appointed as new manager of the Parisian side on 2 January replacing German Tuchel and in those few weeks, he's already overseen the French Super Cup win over Marseille. Pochettino remains in quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus, analysed his start in Paris,
How are you after testing positive for coronavirus? “I still have a few symptoms and a few days ago I had bad headaches and aches and pains. My fever has abated in the past few days and I need to keep looking after myself and observe the quarantine protocols. I'll be tested again on Thursday and the result will dictate if I get to be in the bench for the game on Friday. This pandemic is terrible and there are so many people suffering”.
How did you become infected? “I have no idea. I spent a year and a half in London taking precautions and after a couple of weeks in Paris I got the virus. Fortunately my back-room staff are all negative but it's impossible to know as to how I got infected”.
Was it Leonardo who approached you about the position? “Yes, after the game just before Christmas, he called me the following morning and asked if I would be interested”.
Has he told you that you have to win the Champions League? “It's clear that is a key objective here and it's become a challenge for the past few years. You don't need to be told about the desire to win the trophy and last year the club went close losing in the final”.
Neymar stated that he would play with Messi next season: “I don't know. To be honest, I haven't had time to sit with the president and talk about the transfer market as we're just focused on the present. So many times, a throwaway phrase can be twisted and used out of context”.
Mess is a target according to PSG: “No comment. When I was at Espanyol or Southampton, my dream was to have the best players at the club and Messi came close to being loaned out to Espanyol… The deal was well advanced but he delivered a great display at the pre-season Trofeo Gamper and that was the end of that… We've met over the years in places such as London or in Italy. We both share the love for Newell's, as we both came through their academy and that is our common bond”.
Messi voted for you in The Best awards: “Really, I had no idea. It is an honour when one of the best players in the world votes for you”.
Neymar and Mbappé: “They've both welcomed me and are open to a new footballing proposition and I can only thank them for the warm reception”.
Mbappé'a renewal: “The club are working on retaining the best and he has a huge future ahead of him. What coach wouldn't want to work with Mbappé?”.
Messi is out of contract next summer: “I'm aware of all that is going on. I've been watching everyone from West Ham to Valladolid and these days you need to keep your eyes on every team. I really don't want to talk about Messi as everything then gets blown out of proportion”.