Mauricio Pochettino has yet to prove he has what it takes to take the club to the silver arena in England. Photo: Reuters/Matthew Childs
Previously, Mauricio Pochettino, like Jurgen Klopp, could overthrow Pep Guardiola from the throne. Now leading Chelsea into the new Premier League season, he needs to prove he's in the same class as his Liverpool rivals.
There couldn't be a better first leg opponent Pochettino at Stamford Bridge than the manager who achieved Anfield, which the Argentine failed to do at Tottenham. Since their first meeting in the Premier League, their careers have gone in different directions.
Six years ago, Pochettino and Klopp were recognized as outstanding talents poised to win the biggest awards. At the time, Pochettino's Tottenham were about to finish above Liverpool for the fourth successive season.
The most telling proof of superiority was a memorable 4-1 win at Wembley in October 2017, when Spurs were better in every aspect, and Liverpool's defensive vulnerabilities were exposed. Dejan Lovren was memorably replaced after Harry Kane's 30-minute reign of terror.
Spurs looked poised to take on another Premier League challenge, turning into real Champions League contenders. Liverpool were still looking for the perfect balance between attack and defense at full throttle.
This was a watershed moment for clubs and managers alike. Liverpool's response to a series of defensive setbacks was the signing of Virgil van Dijk the following January, as well as Alisson Becker and Fabinho at the end of the same season. For comparison, the composition of the Spurs remained static.
By the time the clubs met in the Champions League final in 2019, Liverpool were ahead and Klopp's status had risen to that of one of the best managers of the Pochettino era.
Once hailed as two of England's greatest managerial talents, Klopp and Pochettino meet again on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images/Jan Kruger
The difference in the eyes of most neutral players was the quick wit and ambition of both clubs in the transfer market. One group of owners provided the necessary tools to their brilliant trainer. The rest managed Tottenham.
This background explains why Pochettino is still held in such high esteem and admired as much as he is. Few consider the French title he won at Paris Saint-Germain to be the most impressive part of his resume. He is more praised and respected for building a Spurs team that was on the brink of greatness, and considered flawless for not taking the final step.
The debate continues about whether isn't Pochettino being praised too much, given that he won nothing in England. Pochettino can always use the Tottenham board's 'get out of jail' card, which failed to catch on to the nettles by becoming the first Premier League club to not sign a player in consecutive transfer windows.
But I always did that. was a fan of his, so I think he was an obvious Chelsea appointment.
However, there will be no excuse if he doesn't bring silver to his new club. Incredible resources are available and if he builds a team of the same quality, the investment in the team so far suggests that there will be no holding back in moving forward to break the line.
This does not mean that the circumstances he inherited are not difficult. Immediate expectations must be balanced with current reality. Despite numerous influxes, Chelsea are unable to quickly rectify the situation. Millions have been spent over 12 months to create a mess that Pochettino can't clean up overnight, too many players have been hired without thinking about how talented people will turn into a winning team.
Mauricio Pochettino says that Chelsea need to change their image
The culture at Chelsea, where managers don't have time, is different from Spurs. Pochettino prospered by creating unity with a new group of players. The bond between him, his team and the fans has propelled the team to the brink of absolute glory.
His immediate and challenging task is to recreate this with a set of big-money signings that must demonstrate the hunger and drive to make his vision of a side that works as hard as any other in the country.
Liverpool is hardly the team that the new Chelsea manager would choose for his first league game. Ironically, Klopp's first game in English football was a scary encounter with Pochettino. And yet, as we look back at how Klopp fixed Liverpool, we can see the echoes ahead of a potentially defining campaign to rebuild Anfield.
After building one of the best teams in the world, Liverpool, Klopp fell off the cliff last. season, and he should approach it like a new manager starting over.
While trying to build a second great Liverpool team, he faces the same problem as the first. When he joined the club in 2015, his first few seasons were marked by the emergence of a brilliant offensive line that was constantly undermined by poor defense. The result was a series of wild, high-scoring games that were entertaining but imperfect. Initially, Liverpool could count on getting into the top four and the cup.
Klopp is in the early stages of building his next great Liverpool team. Credit: Getty Images/John Powell
Judging by Liverpool's pre-season, history will repeat itself until Klopp sorts out his squad structure.
It is worrying that the problems that were evident last year, when Liverpool gave so many opportunities to their opponents, have not been fixed. In the absence of an available or available new backup centre-back, Klopp is pinning his hopes on Van Dijk returning to his best form after a bad 12 months and Ibrahima Konate being available more frequently. The Frenchman started in less than half of Liverpool's Premier League games last year.
Liverpool were right to make a total of £52m from Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, given their track record in the transfer market. the correct replacement is expected to end up in the preferred starting XI.
However, the biggest problems are not with individuals. It will take more than a number six sitting in front of the back four to keep Klopp's team from looking so open and vulnerable to counterattacks. Even Moises Caicedo, who was at the center of the tug-of-war between Liverpool and Chelsea, couldn't solve their problems instantly.
Klopp's quote that stood out to me this summer was in his response to breeding the hopes of Darwin Nunez.
“The ticket to the team will be the willingness to defend,” he said. “I have never heard of a team being really successful with a sloppy defense. That doesn't happen.»
I can imagine that this line will be plastered all over Liverpool's training ground for the foreseeable future.
Last season, Liverpool and Chelsea twice tied 0-0. . The clubs were already in the process of regrouping and looking ahead.
This is an indicator of where they are heading this season and it will be a surprise if fewer than four goals are scored on Sunday. My prediction is a scoring draw when both goalkeepers are at their maximum capacity, and the battle for Caicedo off the field will only add spice to what is happening.
For Klopp, Pochettino, Liverpool and Chelsea to bounce back To become contenders for the title, they will have to be more active in the transfer market in the windows ahead.
But as much capital investment and rebuilding is needed for everyone chasing Manchester City, no one has more unfinished business in the Premier League than Pochettino , as he seeks to win the trophies that eluded him the first time.
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