Mauricio Pochettino at Manchester United: Right Fit or Risky Appointment?

Following the departure of Michael Carrick, Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as the Englishman’s successor at Manchester United. But is he the right fit?

Ten games in, and the Red Devils are languishing in 18th, with just one win in 10 games, which is their worst ever start to a Premier League season.

This will be the fourth appointment for Pochettino in the Premier League, after his stints at Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Southampton.

In September 2024, he received his first taste of international football, where he took the United States Men’s national team to the 2026 World Cup.

Belgium beat the USMNT made it to the Last 16, but 4-1 in Seattle. Pochettino will be set to manage his last two games as the US Boss in their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final two-leg tie against Haiti on 14th and 17th November.

This will be his first job back in club football since departing Chelsea in May 2024. It will be intriguing to see how quickly he adapts back into the day-to-day life of club football.

The fact that he worked under a fluctuating ownership with BlueCo left him a frustrated figure at times. Yet it wasn’t until the end of 2023/24 that he fell out with the board, who weren’t willing to listen to his demands in the transfer window.

Given that United’s ownership has chosen to go down a similar path in terms of recruiting young players, is that going to work for the Argentine?

Brutal training programme

One thing that is for certain is the fact that United’s players will not get an easy ride with Pochettino in terms of his training programme.

Part of the regime includes the famous Gacon Test, which is a drill associated with French fitness coach Georges Gacon. It was then popularised by Pochettino and Marcelo Bielsa, who frequently used it during his time at Leeds United.

Remember the beep test, where you have to run 20 metres and increase the intensity for each lap?

Well, this is similar, apart from the fact that the Gacon test is intermittent, which means there are rest breaks between each lap.

As the Gacon includes long 45-second straight or curved runs, players cannot rely on deceleration breaks. Instead, they are forced to hold a near-maximal sprint pace continuously while lactic acid floods their muscles, pushing their cardiovascular system far closer to its true red line.

Imagine somebody like Luke Shaw, who is 3, and has been susceptible to multiple injuries in the past, especially his calves and hamstrings. Would he be able to survive this regime?

Tactical set-up

Pochettino’s teams are renowned for their high energy and relentless pressing. United fans, you may even expect some end-to-end basketball-type games.

He usually favours the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system, and likes the full-backs to press higher up the pitch.

Given how shaky United have been defensively, this could prove to be an issue.

In his days at Spurs, the North London side would always aim to produce free-flowing, attacking football.

They had the dynamic trio of Son Heung-min, Harry Kane, and Dele Alli who absolutely thrived in the system, as they were pressing higher up the pitch. That allowed them to create more goal-scoring opportunities.

In regard to how this could work at United, assuming the whole United squad is fully fit, we could potentially see a trio of Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Šeško. Bryan Mbeumo, close to being a replica of that terrifying trio Spurs once unleashed.

You could also expect the likes of Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui to be involved in the attacking play.

Pochettino will be in the Old Trafford dugout. That is for certain, but how he navigates the team through the chaotic world of INEOS will be worth watching.

Is Pochettino the right fit for Manchester United?

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