Mauricio Pochettino has agreed a two-and-a-half year deal to become Manchester United manager following Michael Carrick's sacking, so what can supporters actually expect on the pitch?
The 54-year-old, who led the United States to the last 16 of the World Cup in his most recent role, is set to return to England after previous spells in charge of Southampton, Spurs and Chelsea.Starting with his Southampton tenure, and including his 18-month spell as Paris Saint-Germain head coach, we look at how he has set his team up in each role - and ponder what he might do at United.Tactical blueprint at
Southampton?A 4-2-3-1 formation quickly became established as Pochettino's favoured choice at Southampton, where he maintained a similar shape to his predecessor Nigel Adkins but with a dramatically different playing style emphasising pressing high up the pitch.The damning stats that made Michael Carrick's reign untenableWhy have Man Utd had only two 'successful' managers?In terms of personnel, his line-up stayed
largely consistent, with Dejan Lovren and Victor Wanyama the only major signings to become starters during his season-and-a-half long spell in charge.Instead, Pochettino showed his ability to improve the players he already had, with Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin, Jay Rodriguez, Luke Shaw and Nathanial Clyne among those who flourished - albeit once they had adapted to Pochettino's demands."When I started at
Southampton, I very much played off the left, No 10; almost a luxury-type player," reflected Lallana later in his career.
"When Pochettino came in, it was very apparent from day one there would be no luxury player in his team."Youthful dynamism at SpursPochettino adopted the same approach at Spurs, where his side, like his Southampton side, soon became identifiable by their aggression and intensity out of possession. Again, he predominantly used a 4-2-3-1 formation.
And again, he helped a large contingent of young players flourish, including Dele Alli and Harry Kane, who combined to devastating effect as Pochettino's No 10 and and No 9 respectively. Pochettino used his full-backs to provide attacking width, with a central midfielder, usually Eric Dier, encouraged to drop back and form a back three in possession.
This in turn allowed Alli, Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son to play in close proximity to Kane.Pochettino used those young players to transform Spurs, reaching a Champions League final and achieving three consecutive top-three Premier League finishes. But the age profile of the team changed as time wore on.
As the team got older, legs became heavier, and adequate replacements failed to arrive from the transfer market, Spurs struggled to sustain their intensity.
Pochettino's departure in 2019, five years after his appointment, confirmed the end of a cycle.Adapting at PSGPochettino returned to management over a year after leaving Spurs when took over at Paris-Saint Germain, where his tenure was a story of adapting his philosophy to the characteristics of his players.
To accommodate Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, Pochettino moved away from the high-pressing tactics that had defined his earlier roles, knowing his superstar front three were not predisposed to such a demanding off-the-ball approach.A 4-3-3 formation was his most used system, again with attacking full-backs in Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
But the circumstances meant his PSG side were far removed from his favoured style.Reverting to 4-2-3-1 at ChelseaPochettino used a 3-4-2-1 formation in some of his early games in charge of Chelsea following his appointment in 2023.
Soon, though, he switched to his favoured 4-2-3-1.Cole Palmer followed in the footsteps of previous attackers to have flourished under Pochettino, such as Alli and Kane, with 22 goals and 11 assists in a stunning Premier League campaign. But overall Pochettino found it difficult to transmit his ideas.In April of his only season at Stamford Bridge, he questioned the group's mentality and work-rate.
"We still need to create this mentality that is going to help us," he said.
"You need to demand more from yourself and your team-mates." Pochettino's Spurs side consistently ranked among the Premier League's top sides in terms of distance covered but Chelsea finished the 2023/24 season with the third-lowest total in the division.Flexibility with USAPochettino continued to adapt with the USA national team, switching between a back three and back four and moving away from the more
