Pochettino's England Career Began with the Coutinho Chase

Mauricio Pochettino's managerial career in English football took shape when Southampton officials travelled to Spain to watch Philippe Coutinho. The Argentine coach described this in an exclusive interview with FourFourTwo earlier this year.

The background to the move of the 52-year-old Pochettino to the Premier League, who is among the names linked with the job at Manchester United, is now becoming clearer. In January 2013, Southampton dismissed Nigel Adkins after a run of consecutive promotions had left the club in a comfortable position. Chairman Nicola Cortese appointed Pochettino, who had left Espanyol two months earlier.

Pochettino's link with Southampton began with the Coutinho chase. Cortese and sporting director Paul Mitchell were scouting Coutinho, who was on loan at Espanyol from Inter Milan, when they were impressed by Pochettino's working style. Coutinho later moved to Liverpool for 8.5 million pounds.

Pochettino said that nobody in England knew him. He said he was offered the job six months later, and noted that Cortese made the appointment even though he considered it risky.

His arrival was met with suspicion in the English press, given the timing of Adkins' dismissal. Pochettino's first post-match interviews, given in Spanish through an interpreter, also drew attention. However, he said that not speaking English kept him away from the reactions in the media. When asked whether he felt pressure, he said they were young and confident, and that he paid no attention to the media at all.