It might sounds silly but Mauricio Pochettino needs to go full Mauricio Pochettino to kick-start his Manchester United reign.
He has to go hard early.
Pochettino is intense, demands incredible levels of fitness and dedication from his players and staff, and puts egos aside to make surprising and ruthless calls.
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He needs to double down on all of that as soon as he arrives in Manchester.
Fast start key as fixtures are there for the taking
When he’s come in to any club, the first thing Pochettino focuses on is sorting out the defense.
He did that midseason at Southampton and that propelled them to a very strong second half of the campaign in 2012-13 and then an eighth-place finish the next season.
At Spurs it was slow going to start with but eventually their defensive unit was sorted out and it was the bedrock for their incredible five years under Pochettino where they finished fifth, third, second, third and fourth in the league.
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At PSG and Chelsea, clubs with big-name players and bigger egos, it was tougher for Pochettino and that should serve as a key lesson to him. With the job he walked into at Chelsea particularly similar to this one at United.
Pochettino needs to sort out the defensive unit first.
United face Liverpool away in a really tough opening game for Pochettino. Getting a solid draw at Anfield is more than acceptable.
They then have a run of six games up to a December 20 trip to Arsenal which are very winnable if the basics are sorted out quickly.
Sporting Lisbon and RB Leipzig are beatable in the Champions League. They host Brentford and Coventry City and head to struggling Newcastle United and Crystal Palace in the league.
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If United win four of those games and draw a couple, they are back on track and momentum will be with Poch.
Promoting youth key to Pochettino’s identity
Shea Lacey, Harry Amass, Jack Fletcher and Ayden Heaven will be given big minutes by Pochettino as he always relies on youth to inject energy, pace and drive into his teams.
High-pressing is the cornerstone of his tactics and these young talents are waiting for the chance to develop under the right manager.
Pochettino is that manager and we’ve already seen flashes of brilliance from Lacey, Amass and Heaven in particular.
Look at Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Cole Palmer, to name a few, who dazzled as youngsters under Pochettino and became stars.
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There are also plenty of other top young talents in United’s academy who will be pushed through in the coming months. That’s how he rolls.
Pochettino isn’t scared to give chances to youngsters and given the situation they’re in, United’s seniors players can’t argue with having to wait for opportunities to get back into the team.
Make ruthless decisions to inspire and gain respect
Pochettino is all about the strength of the group being more important than individuals.
Big egos and people cutting corners just doesn’t work with him.
He has to double down on that in his early days at United.
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Even though it’s midseason and games are coming thick and fast, training will be brutal. Senior pros will question why they have to be put through this. But it’s all part of building a new culture.
Pochettino and his tight-knit staff are always watching. Always observing body language just as much as performance in running and training drills. Nothing will be easy.
It has to be Pochettino’s way or the highway. He is known as being ruthless but given the magnitude of this situation, Pochettino must be the most ruthless version of himself.
That is the only way this is going to work and he needs to set that tone in his early day and weeks at Manchester United.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
