Mauricio Pochettino should not leave Tottenham at this stage in his career according to Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle while Steve McManaman believes that Zinedine Zidane should be given time at Santiago Bernabeu to turn things around.
Tonight, all eyes will fall on Santiago Bernabeu as the defending European Champions take on their most likely successor in Paris Saint-Germain. Zinedine Zidane will go all in as this is the only chance Madrid have at winning a trophy. However, a loss could spell the end of Zidane’s time at the helm of Real Madrid. Mauricio Pochettino currently sits as the Frenchman’s most likely replacement.
Former Spurs player and BT Sport pundit, Glenn Hoddle, was of the opinion that Pochettino would be ‘mad’ to walk out on Spurs. He said, “He [Pochettino] would be mad to walk away from what he has at Tottenham and while the chairman he works for now can be tricky to deal with, it would be nothing compared to what he would get at Real Madrid.”
“At Real Madrid, a dip in form for few weeks is a sackable offence, never mind a bad season, so Pochettino needs to consider what he would be giving to leave Spurs for that club.”
Mauricio Pochettino has the chance to do something great at Tottenham
Hoddle was, of course, referring to Real Madrid’s trigger-happy ways. Many managerial greats including Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Capello, Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pellegrini have tried and failed to secure a long-term future at the Bernabeu. Zinedine Zidane seemed destined to be the one to break this trend but a horrendous first half of the season has seen his future come under serious doubt.
Steve McManaman, however, believes that his former Madrid team-mate should be given a longer leash given his achievements in the last two seasons. He said, “I think Zizou should be given time to turn it around and winning two Champions League titles suggests he knows what he’s doing, but the Mauricio Pochettino rumours are there now and probably won’t go away.”
“Let’s be honest, Real Madrid have run out of managers at this stage. They have had Capello, Mourinho, Ancelotti and everyone else, so maybe Pochettino is next for them,” he added.
“Personally, I hope Zidane is given a chance to get things right. Give the guy a bit of patience and respect for what he has done for the club as a player and as a coach.”
Steve McManaman and Zinedine Zidane shared a dressing room during the first Galactico Era
Author’s Take
Replacing Zidane with Pochettino seems to the fashionable choice at the moment. However, it is easier said than done. While Bernabeu’s allure might be too strong to reject, the Argentinian will think twice before jumping ship to Madrid. He has a chance of developing Spurs into a Europen superpower with a core of good young players. Zidane meanwhile, has to win against PSG to even hope of staying in the job come next season.
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