Mauricio Pochettino Real Madrid Bound?
Real Madrid won the Champions League for the third time in a row this season, in what was an historic achievement. Not only was it their third Champions League win in succession, it was their fourth in the last five seasons and they have dominated European club football. Zinedine Zidane was the man who led Real Madrid to their last three Champions League victories and has also taken them to the La Liga title and FIFA Club World Cup twice.
Zidane Leaves
However, in shock news this week, Zidane announced he was stepping down from the Real Madrid hot seat and the biggest job in club football management has become available. Every football club who has a successful manager at the helm will be looking over their shoulder and one man who has been heavily linked with the job is Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine manager has enjoyed a good spell as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur. He has developed them into a regular top four team in the Premier League and some of the football they have produced has been excellent.
One such example was in the 2017/18 Champions League, when Pochettino guided his Tottenham team to victory over Real Madrid at Wembley in the group stages. He also picked up a point in the Santiago Bernabeu with a draw and this will not have gone unnoticed by the Real Madrid hierarchy.
Lack of Silverware
The departure of Zidane is bad news for Tottenham fans, who were looking forward to building on another season under Pochettino. However, despite the rumours linking Pochettino with a move to Madrid, the one things which Pochettino has been criticised for during his time at Tottenham might be the one thing which keeps him at the club. A lack of silverware.
Despite the good football and development Pochettino has brought to Tottenham, the one criticism which will always be pushed his way is the failure to win a trophy. This season, Tottenham reached the Round of 16 of the Champions League and the semi-final of the FA Cup but failed to go on and win either trophy.
The Premier League was always going to be out of reach considering the spending power of Manchester City and the way they dominated the season but a cup win was not out of the question.
So, when Real Madrid sit down and assess their options for a new manager, will a lack of trophies mean Pochettino is ultimately overlooked?
La Liga Experience
The one thing on Pochettino’s CV which is in his favour is the fact he has managerial experience in Spain during his time at Espanyol. The language will not be a problem and he has managed and played in both La Liga and the Champions League.
The next few weeks are going to be very interesting as Real Madrid make an approach for their new manager ahead of next season.