‘Sacked’ PSG Coach Mauricio Pochettino Still Hurt by Champions League Exit, Claims He Could’ve Beaten Madrid

‘Sacked’ PSG Coach Mauricio Pochettino Still Hurt by Champions League Exit, Claims He Could’ve Beaten Madrid

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:08 PM
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  • Mauricio Pochettino has still not gotten over Paris Saint-Germain's defeat to Real Madrid in last season's UEFA Champions League
  • Pochettino, who was then coach of the French champions, saw his charges crumble to a Karim Benzema-inspired comeback in the last 30 minutes of the round-of-16 tie
  • Currently unemployed, the 50-year-old manager won the French Ligue 1, Coupe de France and French Super Cup during his two-year spell with the Parisians

Immediate-past Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has broken his silence following his exit at the end of last season.

Pochettino spent two seasons at the Parc des Princes, winning all domestic trophies with the Parisians, however, his inability to annex the Holy Grail - UEFA Champions League - proved his undoing.

The 50-year-old Argentine manager, who is currently at his home in Barcelona, waiting for job offers, rued his side's inability to progress to the deep end of Europe's elite interclub competition.

Pochettino, PSG, Ligue 1, Mbappe
Mauricio Pochettino gives a press conference during the spring training camp in Qatar's capital Doha on May 15, 2022. Photo by KARIM JAAFAR.
Source: Getty Images

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The pivotal moment in Pochettino's season in the 2021-22 campaign was the Champions League tie against Real Madrid and Los Blancos' remarkable 30-minute comeback, which saw Pochettino's charges throw away a two-goal advantage on aggregate.

In a recent interview carried out by Spanish tabloid Marca, Pochettino claimed PSG would've eliminated Real Madrid if Benzema's first goal was given as a foul on goalkeeper Donnarumma.

“I think that it was a foul and if they would have revised it on VAR, we would be talking about something else, of the elimination of Madrid,” Pochettino said as quoted by Tribuna.

Ex-PSG trainer Mauricio Pochettino opens up about Mbappe's 'involvement' in his sacking

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that former Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Kylian Mbappe did not play any part in his sacking.

Unconfirmed reports had insinuated that Mbappe had pushed for Pochettino's exit by virtue of his increased powers at the club.

Mbappe was given a bumper contract at the start of the summer, the biggest in football's history. Apart from a huge salary, the French star was also given sweeping roles at the club, which means that he could influence the club's transfer policies.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
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