Many were surprised last September when the news that Mauricio Pochettino had become the head coach of the USA national team appeared. After all, it was an odd step for the Argentinian after his spells with European giants like Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea.However, in a wide-ranging interview with The Telegraph, the tactician did not seem unhappy with his choice despite being linked to the job on England’s bench several times.”England is like my home now; this is my home. But it’s true that I am Argentine, always [that] can be controversial. Before I was always appearing in the conversation, but because of my relationship with Daniel [Levy, the Spurs chairman], always he was telling me, no, that football is about timing. I think when I arrived in the USA, the offer that we have, and we accept to go, there wasn’t another offer,” Pochettino said.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Given that he mentioned Levy and Tottenham, the question about Spurs was inevitable, and the 53-year-old liked the idea of returning to north London.”I would like one day to come back. Not because of my ego, it’s because I would like one day to win with Tottenham. We were so close and it was so painful and then with Chelsea it was one year, very productive, but we spend nearly five and a half years there [at Tottenham] and we achieved to be in a Champions League [final], to fight for four years to be one of the contenders for the Premier League. I think now Tottenham is a club with an expectation to win because if you see the facilities – training ground or stadium – now you can see it is about winning trophies. That is why I would like one day to come back,” he revealed.”After six years I still feel in my heart yes I would like one day to come back” 🗣️Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino on the possibility of returning to the club one day 🤝 pic.twitter.com/5RyoUnAffI— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 18, 2025 Yet, the past should be left in the past, as the present and future are important. Pochettino’s present is the US national team, and the future is the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the USA will host alongside Canada and Mexico. The strategist is aware of the pressure.”I think the pressure is going to be there, because we are a host. And then it’s a country where the mentality is about winning. You know in sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. That is the culture. It’s cultural. Of course, it’s going to be a pressure. But a welcome one. That means that we are going to feel the adrenalin that we need to feel,” Pochettino stated.##NAJAVA_MECA_8790203##And not only is he ready for the pressure, but he welcomes it as well – even when it comes from the US President, Donald Trump.”I was listening to a conversation between our president Donald Trump and [Fifa president] Gianni Infantino. The president asked, ‘Can we win the World Cup?’ And Gianni said, ‘Yes’. But I was disappointed with this answer. He should say, ‘You need to ask your great coach, Pochettino. Because for sure, he can give a better opinion.’ I think we are creating a very good atmosphere. They know that it’s going to be massive pressure. Of course now with our president that likes to put [on] pressure, that is going to be good. Yes, we are ready to deliver,” he boldly claimed.”Yes we can win the World Cup, with the help of President Trump and the fans” 🗣️USA boss Mauricio Pochettino on his side’s World Cup hopes 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/kMfQAp9AyJ— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 19, 2025 Given that he spent seven years working in the Premier League, Pochettino was asked to comment on the situation surrounding the Three Lions as well as Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England head coach.”Always, the pressure is going to be there because England are one of the best national teams and I think today the squad is in the top three best squads in the world. And of course, for Thomas, who is a winner, the challenge is to win… he is in a similar position where he is discovering things and he will learn because he is in a completely different world, being coach of the national team,” said Mauricio.Pochettino and Tuchel ahead of the duel between Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund back in 2016 (©AFP)Finally, even though he’s a world-renowned manager, the Argentinian has yet to feel the charms of being a celebrity in the US.”They didn’t give me the…como se dice [how do you say it]? The green card,” he said laughing, “We are waiting. The last time in Los Angeles, we were waiting one hour and a half in the queue. It was good, eh? I am not complaining, because if I complain, they are going to kill me. I am not complaining but I cannot feel this status. I will feel it if one day they give me the green card,” Pochettino concluded jokingly.
