Luis Enrique’s decision to quit the Camp Nou at the end of the season has opened up a job opening at Barcelona. The Catalan giants will bid farewell to their Spanish manager this summer and are already busy in searching for a replacement. The likes of Arsene Wenger and Massimiliano Allegri are on the shortlist for the manager’s post at the club but one Mauricio Pochettino is looking more and more like the perfect fit for the La Liga giants. Barcelona still have a chance to salvage their season if they are able to finish the season strongly but they will need a manager who can continue from where Enrique left off and here is why the current Tottenham Hotspur manager is not just the right but also close to the best choice for this position.
Having started his managerial career in La Liga at the RCDE stadium not too far away from the Camp Nou, Pochettino landed the Southampton job back in 2013 and in just one year at the St Marys, he lifted them to their best ever finish in their history in the competition. So it did not take long for him to land a higher profile job in England. Finally adding some serenity to the manager’s position at the White Hart Lane, Pochettino was appointed the Tottenham Hotspur manager in 2014 as their 10th gaffer in 13 years. He has ever since completely transformed the club and stands as one of the most consistent manager’s in the league at the moment.
His vast exposure makes him highly experienced even for a 45-year old and his progress, or the progress of his methods makes it clear that he is destined for big things in the future. He believes in a system that has delivered the results for him this season and the fact that it is not too far away from the methods used at the Camp Nou makes Pochettino a natural option for the Spanish side. Though not exactly the ‘tiki-taka’ kind of football that Barcelona are capable of producing every once in a while, the Spurs play in a similar system at the Lane under their current manager.
Hurrying opponents on the ball and pushing them into making mistakes before setting up attacks with crisp passing is a system that has borne fruit for the English side in the top flight for more than a season now and this is not too different from what the Spanish side are taught to do. So Pochettino can only make his approach even better with the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr under his wing.
The former Argentine manager has a certain set of requirements for players under him and this is why Barcelona is tailor made for him. Pochettino loves to spend on young talent who have what it takes to perform on the biggest stage and though not all his transfer dealings have been a success, he has added some superb names to the Spurs squad in his time in London.
At the Camp Nou, he will have exclusive rights to the La Masia academy and known for sticking with youngsters, Barcelona will have a manager who will make the best use of their academy as well. Though he is yet to win the biggest trophies in Europe, Pochettino is a manager who is surely going to win big things in the future and maybe, the next year is a start to his long legacy Camp Nou. Surely, in the current market, he is close to the best option for Barcelona.
