Mauricio Pochettino Reflects on World Cup Journey and Future Ambitions
Mauricio Pochettino walks into the room like a man who’s finally had time to breathe. Hugs for everyone, jokes about the summer, a familiar warmth that disarms the cameras pointed in his direction.
Only his summer has looked nothing like anyone else’s.
The man who once took Tottenham to the brink of greatness has just dragged the USA into the last 16 of a home World Cup, ridden out a political storm, become an unlikely style reference point, and then quietly signed up for four more years in charge of the national team. For a coach supposedly between big club jobs, this is not the sabbatical many expected.
‘We are much better coaches now’
Ask Pochettino what he takes from the World Cup and his answer comes quickly.
"We are much better coaches now," he says, and he means it.
The tournament has sharpened him. He talks about the obsession with detail, the strain of getting every decision right when the margin for error is microscopic, and the difficulty of imposing a clear idea on a squad that spends only short bursts of time together.
"Everything needs to be perfect," he says, and you sense he’s replayed every minute of the USA’s journey in his head.
This was no ordinary World Cup assignment either. Managing the host nation brings its own glare; managing the host nation when the President relishes the spotlight is another level entirely. Pochettino chooses his words carefully, leaning on the support and backing he says he received from Donald Trump, rather than the drama that swirled around them.
The flashpoint came around Folarin Balogun and the late twist that allowed the striker to play against Belgium. Pochettino admits the "politics and manipulation" around the suspension saga overshadowed the game, but insists his own role stayed simple.
"If you pay attention to the noise, you become crazy," he says. FIFA cleared Balogun on the eve of the match. "When the letter arrived the day before the game confirming Balogun was available, the decision was straightforward."
The USA went out to Belgium. The story, though, refused to stop there.
Balogun’s stalled move and a coach keeping his distance
Balogun has been back in the headlines after his proposed Deadline Day move from Monaco to Everton collapsed at the last moment. Pochettino has deliberately stayed away from the situation, giving the forward space to process a brutal swing in his career path.
He hasn’t spoken to him yet. He knows how much that kind of collapse hurts. He admits he would have liked to see Balogun in the Premier League, testing himself in English football. Instead, the striker remains in Monaco, and Pochettino can only hope he finds his rhythm again.
A touchline suit that stole the show
Somehow, amid all of this, a navy touchline outfit turned Pochettino into a fashion story.
He has always cared about how he presents himself, but even he didn’t expect his World Cup look to make headlines. It did. It even persuaded Wayne Rooney to go out and buy the same ensemble.
"I saw him. He looked good on him, like a top coach," Pochettino laughs.
A home World Cup, a political circus, a selection storm, and a viral suit. It really was a summer that had everything.
Four more years – and an eye on England
Once the confetti was swept away and the rest of the football world moved on, the speculation began. Pochettino to this club. Pochettino to that club. AC Milan were mentioned. Others hovered in the background.
Then the twist: he signed a new four-year deal with the USA.
If he stays until 2030, that would mean six years away from club football. For a coach so closely associated with the Premier League, it feels like an eternity. Is that chapter closing?
He doesn’t see it that way at all.
"I have the ambition," he says. "My dream now is to be in the USA for four years, but after that, why not? We are still young, and I think coming back is always my goal; to win the Premier League, to be in the Premier League and to build a project with the possibility of winning.
"I love the football here. I think to have the chance again is one of my wishes and I hope that happens."
The hunger is obvious. This is not a man winding down. This is a man sharpening his tools somewhere else, waiting for the right door to open.
Spurs, the call that never really came
Talk of unfinished business naturally leads back to Tottenham.
Eighteen months ago, Pochettino spoke openly about his desire to one day return to Spurs. Since then, the club have lurched through managers. Ange Postecoglou’s reign ended. Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor came and went as the club flirted dangerously with relegation.
So did the call ever come? Was there a moment when he might have ridden back in to rescue them?
"Always I say, one day, why not?" he replies about a return in general. But on whether it was close this time, he is clear: "People talk and maybe we receive some approach, but it never was close."
Not this time.
AC Milan? Other big clubs? He doesn’t deny the interest.
"We were not open during the World Cup to talk with different clubs that were interested," he says. Were there clubs? "Yes, always," he answers, as if that is simply life at his level. "Yes, always have different, you know, options."
Did any of those options really tempt him?
"We never gave the opportunity to be close. We always closed the door before it got close."
The USA project, for now, is non-negotiable.
Spurs’ spending spree and a wry smile
From there, the conversation swings back to Tottenham’s present.
"They are investing like other clubs," Pochettino says. He understands the logic. After a couple of turbulent seasons, Spurs have changed course, paying big money for players already proven in the Premier League.
It’s hard not to think back to his own time in north London. To the Champions League final run. To a title challenge that fell just short. To how little he spent compared with the current outlay.
What would he have done with £300m to reshape a squad? He gives a mischievous smile and pretends he has no idea what £300m even looks like.
So will this new strategy work?
"You never know," he says. "We need time to see if that works or not.
"Like in all the games, when you make a decision like a coach that can work well or not. I think it's a different strategy and a different way to operate. I always wish the best for Tottenham because it's in my heart."
The affection is real. So is the distance.
Chelsea, a new direction and a familiar demand
His other former Premier League club, Chelsea, are also in the middle of a reset.
The role he held has been upgraded from head coach to manager. The club’s transfer policy has swung away from long-term projects to players ready to impact the Premier League immediately under Xabi Alonso.
Pochettino avoids direct comparisons with his own spell but recognises the intent.
Buying established Premier League players, he says, brings a clear expectation: "buying players like this you can expect to fight, to be a contender for the Premier League."
Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal has already delivered a sharp reminder of how far they still have to go, but Pochettino urges calm.
"Of course they are disappointed after the defeat against Arsenal, but I think we need to give time to Xabi's first season after three games in the Premier League," he says.
"I think we need to give time, and of course for Tottenham the same."
Both clubs, in his eyes, are trying to sprint before they’ve fully learned how to walk in their new identities.
Arsenal, Arteta and the bar to beat
Ask Pochettino who sets the standard in England right now and he doesn’t hesitate.
"For Pochettino, Arsenal are very much in pole position," is the clear message from his assessment.
"Mikel [Arteta] is the best coach in the Premier League today," he says. "Knowing what he needs to do, it's going to be tough to beat them."
Coming from a man who has lived in the heat of the Premier League’s biggest battles, it lands with weight. Arteta’s Arsenal, in Pochettino’s eyes, are the team everyone else must chase.
Which raises the question that hangs over the end of the conversation.
When he finally returns to England, as he so clearly intends, will he be the man to bring down the coach he currently calls the best in the league?
