Alex Goldberg’s podcast today had some interesting discussion about Mauricio Pochettino’s recent press conferences.
After being very passive all season, he’s suddenly turned a lot more fiery and has started turning the focus on those above him for the first time. At the same time, he’s also freely admitting that he’s not spoken to the owners in a long time, and is in the dark about his future.
Why this sudden departure from the company line? Goldberg and his guests suggest perhaps he’s angling to get sacked deliberately, in much the same way that Antonio Conte forced his way out after his second year.
There’s certainly an element of that, and we definitely see the parallels with Antonio Conte. In that case we couldn’t quite believe it was happening given how well the season before had gone (and even the start of that second campaign) but he too started speaking in increasingly bleak terms and opened up more and more with criticism of those above him.
Is Pochettino going the same way? We’re not sure. It would be harsh to say that he’s trying to get sacked at this stage, but it does seem that he’s becoming less cautious about his future and his comments about the squad construction and ownership.
The idea that it’s a “win-win”, which a source told Goldberg is certainly true. With a few wins under his belt and Europe almost secured, he can start to speak his mind more and defend himself from criticism, knowing that even if he does get sacked, it will be seen as harsh and won’t really affect his chances of getting another big job.
It will be very interesting to monitor his tone in the weeks to come and see if he continues on this trajectory.
