Berliner Boersenzeitung - Pochettino will relish taking on Pulisic's call for USA culture change

EUR -
AED 4.294295
AFN 80.67101
ALL 97.682021
AMD 448.844558
ANG 2.092317
AOA 1072.100732
ARS 1473.739712
AUD 1.776766
AWG 2.107373
AZN 1.992177
BAM 1.955137
BBD 2.3601
BDT 142.131837
BGN 1.95535
BHD 0.440745
BIF 3438.437284
BMD 1.169139
BND 1.495693
BOB 8.094292
BRL 6.487673
BSD 1.168904
BTN 100.204045
BWP 15.605712
BYN 3.825204
BYR 22915.120971
BZD 2.347904
CAD 1.59888
CDF 3374.135072
CHF 0.931348
CLF 0.029164
CLP 1119.181986
CNY 8.381031
CNH 8.386479
COP 4677.034647
CRC 589.500242
CUC 1.169139
CUP 30.982179
CVE 110.805179
CZK 24.689762
DJF 207.779812
DKK 7.461854
DOP 70.503612
DZD 151.717642
EGP 57.845603
ERN 17.537082
ETB 158.272216
FJD 2.621502
FKP 0.861702
GBP 0.865285
GEL 3.168823
GGP 0.861702
GHS 12.163552
GIP 0.861702
GMD 83.597928
GNF 10120.066085
GTQ 8.978957
GYD 244.547133
HKD 9.177757
HNL 30.807262
HRK 7.533351
HTG 153.418013
HUF 400.227833
IDR 18958.755187
ILS 3.895261
IMP 0.861702
INR 100.371157
IQD 1531.571861
IRR 49235.363231
ISK 142.405567
JEP 0.861702
JMD 186.916661
JOD 0.828966
JPY 172.326976
KES 151.407922
KGS 102.24164
KHR 4701.107625
KMF 492.383265
KPW 1052.26462
KRW 1611.038675
KWD 0.357488
KYD 0.974062
KZT 610.72305
LAK 25171.559311
LBP 104754.839131
LKR 351.510887
LRD 234.997311
LSL 20.729277
LTL 3.452163
LVL 0.707201
LYD 6.30755
MAD 10.525177
MDL 19.789294
MGA 5179.2854
MKD 61.502849
MMK 2453.914221
MNT 4194.40823
MOP 9.451117
MRU 46.419188
MUR 53.172876
MVR 18.009109
MWK 2030.213938
MXN 21.800469
MYR 4.971767
MZN 74.77856
NAD 20.729272
NGN 1790.10397
NIO 42.966292
NOK 11.849901
NPR 160.326672
NZD 1.945581
OMR 0.449532
PAB 1.168909
PEN 4.145811
PGK 4.822406
PHP 66.036513
PKR 332.624323
PLN 4.266714
PYG 9058.930286
QAR 4.256371
RON 5.080731
RSD 117.157108
RUB 91.190148
RWF 1676.545075
SAR 4.384758
SBD 9.734819
SCR 17.066377
SDG 702.072162
SEK 11.170678
SGD 1.496749
SHP 0.91876
SLE 26.30991
SLL 24516.260876
SOS 668.16712
SRD 43.500737
STD 24198.813196
SVC 10.227534
SYP 15201.088778
SZL 20.729263
THB 37.882481
TJS 11.29712
TMT 4.103677
TND 3.39476
TOP 2.738245
TRY 46.964383
TTD 7.941309
TWD 34.16345
TZS 3039.761337
UAH 48.835851
UGX 4189.580317
USD 1.169139
UYU 47.263984
UZS 14804.224604
VES 133.595722
VND 30531.475847
VUV 140.024469
WST 3.214587
XAF 655.729191
XAG 0.030409
XAU 0.000348
XCD 3.159657
XDR 0.813035
XOF 655.306515
XPF 119.331742
YER 282.75665
ZAR 20.94521
ZMK 10523.656585
ZMW 27.058947
ZWL 376.462225
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

Pochettino will relish taking on Pulisic's call for USA culture change
Pochettino will relish taking on Pulisic's call for USA culture change / Photo: Glyn KIRK - AFP

Pochettino will relish taking on Pulisic's call for USA culture change

If Mauricio Pochettino was pondering what his focus should be when he takes charge of the United States for the first time his captain Christian Pulisic promptly provided him with the answer.

Text size:

Speaking after Tuesday's 1-1 draw with New Zealand, which left the team with just one win from their last seven games, the AC Milan winger got straight to the point.

"There's a lot of things that need to change...just the mentality and the culture of the group. I think we have the quality, but I know hopefully that's the first thing that he's going to want to change," Pulisic said before adding what kind of approach he wants to see.

"Hopefully a culture that is willing to fight, that is willing to take risks, win," added the USA's star performer.

What is strange for American fans is that while they have long known their teams aren't technically or tactically on a level with the world's elite, fighting spirit is something their national team never lacked.

The first USA team to grab any global recognition, at the World Cup they hosted in 1994, was built on exactly such qualities.

Through the years under Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley, the USA played a rudimentary style of football but could never have been accused of lacking fight.

German Juergen Klinsmann had his critics, but his team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which battled its way out of a group with Portugal, Germany and Ghana before falling to Belgium, certainly didn't lack in terms of mentality.

But under Gregg Berhalter, a young team drawing mainly from European clubs, lost its way with the emphasis on a fixed tactical approach.

- Counter attack -

Tactically Pochettino is a relative pragmatist but his best remembered team, the Tottenham side he turned into Champions League finalists in 2019, was at their most effective on the counter-attack.

Those attacks were often finished off by Harry Kane, the England captain now playing with Bayern Munich and his assessment of Pochettino's approach will resonate with Pulisic.

"He’s a fantastic manager, a fantastic man. With him, it’s always about hard work and belief," Kane said during the Argentine's time at the North London club.

"You just want to perform for him, work hard for him, win for him. He’s very passionate. You can tell sometimes he wants to be out there himself, putting in tackles, running about.

"You respond to that. On big occasions, you just want to do him justice," he added.

American fans can expect Pochettino to pay little regard to reputations when it comes to picking his line-ups -- he has never been afraid to make surprise selections, particularly when it comes to blooding young talent.

Eric Dier, now Kane's team-mate in Munich, was thrown into the starting team at Spurs just two weeks after joining the club when he was expecting to serve his time as a reserve.

"He installed all his faith in me and I think he did that over and over again with players...if you were ready, you were ready and it didn't matter the occasion. He was great like that," he said.

Other former Spurs players have noted Pochettino's uncompromising attitude on weight, fitness and punctuality.

But he also has a belief in more esoteric ideas such as "universal energy" and "aura", even stocking lemons in his office believing that they absorb negative energy and ensuring Tottenham's playing kits were washed in the same, purposely chosen, perfumed detergent.

While he makes full use of modern analysis methods he also relies on other ways to assess players.

"I need data and tests, but what most influences my decisions is my ability to see if the right energy is flowing," he wrote in his book Brave New World.

"I can foresee things that are going to happen and the associated consequences, or which path each player is going to take. I can see it in their auras," he added.

At Paris Saint Germain he coached a team with global superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe but now he has the challenge of taking much lesser talents into a home World Cup in 2026.

US Soccer chief executive JT Batson indicated that expectations are high with their big-name appointment.

"Mauricio understands the unique potential of this team and this country, and he shares our belief that US Soccer is on the cusp of something truly special," he said.

No pressure, then.

(B.Hartmann--BBZ)