Mauricio Pochettino, the United States national team head coach, has reportedly been announced as Manchester United’s head coach and will take over the reins from November 18.
After an incredible start to his reign, Michael Carrick lost his grip at the helm this term, with United languishing in the relegation zone after 10 games. The club legend ultimately paid the price with his job.
Now, Pochettino would have to make drastic changes to pull the Red Devils out of their troubles.
Mauricio Pochettino to ban players’ day off after games
According to The Sun, Pochettino is set to “crack the whip” with his players to improve their much-criticised fitness.
Carrick’s side received a lot of backlash for their lack of intensity this season, as the Englishman tried to implement a more possession-focused style with less emphasis on pressing.
United reportedly currently sit 19th for total distance covered in the Premier League and 17th for high-speed running distance.
Pochettino will be joined by his son, Sebastiano, who is also his fitness coach for the United States national team, to significantly improve the aforementioned metrics.
Furthermore, it is understood that Pochettino is set to order United players to report at their Carrington training complex the day after games for recovery sessions. “Under Carrick, the squad were almost always off the day after a match,” the report states.
| Stat | |
|---|---|
| From | 10 September 2024 |
| To | present |
| Matches | 35 |
| Wins | 21 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Losses | 12 |
| Win % | 60.0% |
How Mauricio Pochettino’s approach is different from his predecessors
While Pochettino will arrive at Carrington with his own fitness coach, Carrick inherited Charlie Owen at United.
Interestingly, Owen was not part of the coaching exodus this week. He has been the United fitness coach since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer promoted him in the summer of 2019.
Ruben Amorim brought his own man, Paulo Barreira, who worked with him at Sporting CP and has now joined him at AC Milan.
It is claimed that Amorim adjusted United’s training pattern so that their daily sessions became less intense as they approached matchday, ensuring the players were as fresh as possible.
According to Samuel Luckhurst, players felt the Portuguese coach’s approach improved their durability.
Featured image by Omar Vega via Getty Images
