Pochettino's time at PSG is up - he'd be better off at Man Utd

On the face of things, Paris Saint-Germain have enjoyed a strong start to the Ligue 1 season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side, strengthened by a carousel of impressive summer arrivals, including Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and, of course, Lionel Messi, are on course to threaten a record points total in France’s top flight.

And yet there is an air of discontent around Parc des Princes.

Despite the strong result, performances have been widely criticised as being disjointed and overly reliant on individual brilliance. Matches have often been won in the closing stages and there appears to be no firm belief that PSG will negotiate the last-16 of the Champions League, the competition that they so crave to win, where Real Madrid lie in wait.

Pochettino's Paris future in doubt

Such has been the uncertainty and confusion over PSG’s performances, Pochettino’s job is in peril.

Long-term links with a move to Manchester United in the summer are hard to overlook – and they will continue to be until the vacant full-time post at Old Trafford is filled.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his apparent lack of pressing dominated the agenda when it was announced that Ralf Rangnick, a coach who likes to see his team play in an intense defensive style would take interim charge.

How would Ronaldo work under Pochettino?

There has been no indication that the Portuguese will prove problematic for the German, though.

Pochettino shares similar philosophy to the former Schalke and Hoffenheim coach, making him an attractive option for Man Utd on paper. Would Ronaldo be a problem for him? Surely not.

Stars dictate PSG play

The Argentine, though, is struggling to marry his style to PSG’s array of superstars. With Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe all expected to play each match when available, it effectively renders Pochettino’s favoured game plan obsolete.

These three players do not have it in their mindset to work doggedly for the team. For all the criticism Neymar receives over his showboating and melodrama, he is the member of the trio who works hardest. Nevertheless, he is far from an Edinson Cavani, who was the darling of the Parc des Princes and now Old Trafford because of his selfless attitude.

Pochettino may have the raw materials to build a great team, but not one in his image.

Instead, PSG have been playing as two separate units. Eight players defend their net, while the star trio is left to their own devices to manufacture goals at the other end of the field. There is no particular structure or overarching gameplan beyond allowing the front three to create. This has been good enough to date, but there is a feeling it can only take them so far.

At the beginning of the season, there was a desire to play with very attacking full-backs, but even Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, who is on loan from Sporting CP, have been pushed back into their shells.

Pochettino looks like a coach who is second guessing himself because he is being forced to play against all his instincts. His PSG side are winning matches in spite of themselves, though that should not detract from the South American boss, who is currently a square peg in a round hole.

At Man Utd, he would surely have the opportunity to be more comfortable.

Rangnick, who will move into a consultancy role in the summer, will provide the Old Trafford club with the long-term vision that both they and the Parisians currently lack. Such security was crucial to Pochettino’s success at Tottenham and can provide him with the type of foundation that both he and the Red Devils need to thrive over an extended period.

His marriage with PSG presently is an unhealthy one, and unless the culture of the club shifts dramatically, that is unlikely to change. It’s time he got out.