Mauricio Pochettino gave an extensive interview to the Daily Mail in which nothing is left in the pipeline in his first days at Paris Saint-Germain. Just over 24 hours after facing Manchester City and experiencing the second semifinals of his career on the bench, the Argentine reviews how his time in Paris is being, his relationship with superstars Neymar and Mbappé, the elimination of Barcelona and Bayern and the confidence he has in them to play against a “great team” like City.
Character in the locker room: “Of course Neymar and Mbappé are important, but if you want to achieve great things you need everyone to feel important. I try to get everyone to empathize and find a way to create a good emotional connection”
Brazilian character: “Brazilians are different. They have something special. I am very open, happy people, they always smile. They love to play football because it is like dancing and they play dancing. They do not feel the pressure. They play freely. It is a characteristic of their country and their culture. They need to feel good and happy to perform at their best. “
Mbappé and the game at the Camp Nou: “We had a conversation in the locker room while they gave him a massage. I said:” Have you ever played here? Have you won here? “He answered no and I told him that I had managed to win with Espanyol and I explained to him The keys to the game. Then she replied, very seriously: “Okay, tomorrow you're going to win for the second time.” I asked her if she was sure and she said: “Yes, don't worry, we're going to win.” We played a fantastic game. and we beat them 4-1. At the end, when the game ended, he would leave and say to me: “I told you, I told you, I told you …”
Mbappé and the languages: “I always tell him that I need to practice my French and he answers:” Sure, but for me it is better that we speak in English. “
Mbappé and his madness for football: “Kylian is very young but very mature. He is very confident in his abilities and talent. He is very open, very smart and has impressive talent. Like Neymar, he is among the top five in the world. Kylian loves football. He loves to talk about He asks me about England. What is the game like, what is the mentality there, in Spain and Argentina. He watches every day matches in Ingalterra, France, Italy and Germany. It is impressive to discover a player with so much talent that he loves soccer so much “.
Relationship the stars: “Ronaldinho was a great guy (they coincided as players in Paris) and Neymar, from the day I arrived, is willing to work. He is very humble, listens and accepts instructions in a very good way. Like Mbappé, they love work and football. It is normal that there are people who need to find things to doubt you. Something that may be wrong in your way of training or managing the group. But we already work with stars at Tottenham. We worked every day with the captain of France (Lloris), with Kane, Son … Now we are in Paris with people like Neymar, Mbappé, Verratti, Navas … Players with a lot of talent and character. The most important thing is to be natural, genuine and spontaneous in the way you manage. “
Robbery at Di María's house: “No one is prepared for these situations. As we found out, the game is over. The game is important, but the family comes first. Football takes a back seat. The players knew something was happening and I was in the locker room with him until he could talk to his wife. In the end, we lost the game because it was a crazy moment. “
This edition of the Champions: “The Champions love us. Every time we play people want to see us. Against Barcelona and Bayern we take the focus because both qualifiers were fantastic. People enjoyed watching them and they were two gigantic victories for the club. Before playing the second leg against Barcelona, everyone was talking about La Remontada (sic). It was a strange feeling. Few people inside the club and the players weren't nervous or paranoid about it. They thought “Oh no, 4-1 again, Barcelona … We already know what will happen if they score first. “We were calm and reached the quarter-finals. We drew with Bayern and then it was 'Oh no, it's them again, the best team in the world.' Nobody believed that we could reach the semi-finals. and here we are to compete against City, one of the best teams with the best coach in the world, Guardiola. It's going to be a fantastic tie. “
Knockout against City in the Champions League: “Incredible, two years ago. The atmosphere was impressive. We miss the fans a lot. It is not to believe everything that happened in the second leg with the 3-2, 4-2, 4-3 and the goal that annulled the VAR. You need to play well and fight but sometimes in this type of competition you need some luck to advance. For me, this game and the semi-final against Ajax were impressive, very exciting. In the Champions League there is always something unforgettable for the people who saw it and were there. “
Amazon documentary at Tottenham: “I'm not going to change. I'm not an actor, I'm a soccer coach and I like who I am. We were out in the first episode and 25 minutes. We did the Amazon thing and it involved acting a bit because the club asked me to but I'm spontaneous with the players. The relationship is natural and that's the key. “