Mauricio Pochettino: “If I left PSG for not winning the Champions League, Pep Guardiola should have been sacked 7 or 8 times.” | OneFootball

Speaking to AS, former Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke about his sacking by the Ligue 1 champions, and the high expectations at the club.

Pochettino left the club this summer. Despite winning Ligue 1, the first domestic title of the Argentinian manager’s career, he was sacked shortly after the end of the season. The club’s poor showing in the Champions League is cited as a reason for his departure. It is no secret that the main ambition of QSI is for PSG to win the prestigious European competition.

Despite a promising start against Real Madrid in last season’s round of 16,  finding themselves 2-0 up on aggregate with just 45 minutes to play, a Karim Benzema hat-trick saw the La Liga side progress before eventually going on to win the whole competition.

Pochettino has now joked that if he was sacked for not winning the Champions League, then Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola should also be sacked. “If [I left] PSG for not winning the Champions League, Guardiola should have already been sacked seven or eight times! These are different realities. PSG is made to try to win the Champions League. If that objective isn’t reached, I’m the first one responsible,” he said.

Pochettino was replaced by Christophe Galtier in the Parc des Princes dugout. The former OGC Nice manager has ensured the club’s progression to the knockout stages of this year’s competition, but only finished second in their group, behind Benfica.