Paris Saint-Germain sack Mauricio Pochettino: Decoding his stats
On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain confirmed the departure of manager Mauricio Pochettino after 18 months in charge. Notably, Pochettino's departure was decided before itself but the French champions waited until today to make it official. They have also announced former Nice manager Christophe Galtier as the new boss. Despite winning the league title, Pochettino failed to stamp his authority as the club sacked him.
Pochettino's record at PSG
Pochettino managed PSG in 84 matches in his 18-month period. He went on to win 55 matches, besides drawing 15, and losing 14 times. He clocked a win percentage of 65.48%. PSG won the Ligue 1 title last season, having claimed 86 points from 38 games. In his first season, he took over from Thomas Tuchel midway and helped PSG finish second.
Why does this story matter?
PSG have a reputation of changing the manager frequently and Pochettino has now paid the price. Poch couldn't win the Champions League in his tenure and that was a major blow. Despite winning the league title by the best margin in Europe's top five leagues last season, Pochettino's contributions were deemed not enough. Plus the power of players at PSG caused an imbalance.
Champions League exit last season served as a decisive blow
PSG were comfortable against eventual UCL winners Real Madrid and had a 2-0 aggregate lead at half-time in the second-leg round of 16 clash. To lose from a promising position next was seen as a major failure. It was the first time PSG lost a Champions League away game after leading at half-time since 2001. They lost 2-3 on aggregate against Real.
Poch won three trophies with PSG
Pochettino won three trophies with PSG in his tenure. He won two trophies since his arrival in January 2021. He helped the club win Trophee des Champions and Coup de France trophies, besides a league honor. His team lost in the final of Trophee des Champions last season and exited the round of 16 in the Coup de France.
A look at Poch's career stats
Poch will now hope to take time off and come back fresh. It remains to be seen where he lands up next. Prior to his move to PSG, he had managed Spurs in 293 matches, winning 159, drawing 62, and losing 62 games. He also managed Southampton in 60 matches (W23 D18 L19). At Espanyol, he oversaw 161 games (W53 D38 L70).
Poch's Premier League record
Poch managed 256 games in the Premier League, winning 132, drawing 61, and losing 63 games. He won four Premier League Manager of the Month awards.
