MAURICIO POCHETTINO has taken a swipe at his old club Paris Saint-Germain, claiming they signed too many big names who needed to be No1.
The ex-Tottenham boss, 50, was tasked with managing Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, as well as other top stars.
Pochettino managed to reclaim Ligue 1 but PSG underperformed in Europe, costing him his job in the summer.
And the Argentine believes that one of the reasons for his early dismissal was because the club had too many players who needed to be “number one”.
Speaking to Relevo, Pochettino opened up on how having too many big names can cause “confusion”.
He said: “You need to constantly adapt because there was too much greatness.
“For Barca to have Messi or for Madrid to have Cristiano is a blessing.
“But when you bring in too many players who all need their spot and be number one, there can be confusion.”
Poch continued: “In the end, when you play, there are 11 players with one ball.
“There was a penalty, and who takes it? It is not even a decision of the coach.”
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There had been rumours of a rift between PSG’s top three players in Messi, Mbappe and Neymar.
Squabbles have taken place over who should be taking penalties.
Neymar has been publicly asked on his relationship with Mbappe and refused to comment.
Pochettino says that the same challenges he faced still exist at the club.
He said: “There is no manual and no one can explain it, although now the experience of when we were there is here.”
A good example as to what Poch is talking about, but away from PSG’s big three stars, is the goalkeeper situation.
Keylor Navas, a world class keeper in his own right, was relegated to the substitutes bench following the free transfer arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Poch added: “[PSG have Keylor] Navas and [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, two number ones in the same position.”
PSG could have a good chance to reset should Mbappe choose to leave in the next transfer window or two.
The relationship between the player and the club has reportedly soured despite the 2018 World Cup-winning Frenchman signing one of the biggest contracts in football history to snub Real Madrid.
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Messi’s contract at the Parc des Princes expires in the summer, and the Argentine could return to Barca, or join Inter Miami in the MLS.
That would leave just Neymar in the French capital and the club will be on the search for some new attacking partners.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
