In his press conference ahead of the Panama game in Austin, Mauricio Pochettino expressed his delight at working with USMNT. He spoke in detail about the intensity he demanded from the players. The Argentinian also stressed soccer is mainly about winning.

“First camp is about getting to know each other”

The 52-year-old immediately returned to coaching after ending his time with Chelsea on a positive note. After working in three of the top-five European leagues, the US national team presented him with a chance to leap into international soccer.

“We’re so happy in our decision to come here. There is no better place to play soccer than Austin,” Pochettino said about his debut. “It’s about winning every single game. But the first camp has the goal of getting to know each other and setting the principles for the future.

“Our fans want to win. But they need to understand our first contact is about adapting to new ideas. We need to give time to the team to adapt to us. We can’t push the players too much. Of course, soccer is global. They know very well about playing styles and philosophy.”

On Saturday, the former Argentina international will try to achieve what he struggled with at club level. Pochettino didn’t win any of his Champions League, Premier League, LaLiga and Ligue 1 debuts.

“Football (soccer) is so dynamic and we need to adapt to it every single day,” he said about picking a first XI. “Our first camp is about knowing each other. We’re nearly 40 people working altogether. The most important thing is to settle how we want to work from the beginning.”

The new coaching team approached every player in one-on-one sessions in the first couple of days of the training camp. Pochettino mentioned that they spent from ten minutes to half an hour with each one of the 25 players who made the first squad.

“The first thing we did was to meet the players individually. It’s a good way to get to know each other and share ideas. It’s to see their levels and situations at their clubs. They all shared the motivation to be here and play for the national team,” he said about the first impressions.

High praise for Pulisic but worried about number of games

But the expectations would be different for some players. Christian Pulisic started the campaign with AC Milan in top form. Since the last international game where he scored off the bench to tie the game against New Zealand, Pulisic found the net in all four Serie A games and the Champions League opener against Liverpool. 

“Pulisic is a fantastic player. He has an enormous talent. He’s going to help us now and in the future to put us in the place we want to be, he’s one of the best offensive players in the world,” Pochettino said about his captain before sharing his concern. “He’s playing every single game and every single minute at Milan. That makes us a little bit worried.

“Sometimes, we need to protect him. He arrived a little bit tired. We’ll see about that. As I’ve said before, it’s basic to build a very good relationship with clubs,” Pochettino indicated. 

Pochettino’s famed intensity level

With Pochettino’s intensive training sessions in place, Pulisic had to continue working hard this week. As multiple USMNT players mentioned during press conferences, the preparation level reached another level with the new man in the hot seat.

“In the physical condition, the last two days before the game that intensity won’t be there,” he said before explaining further. “But intensity is not only physical. There is also a mental side to the concentration level. When a new coach arrives, you’re more focused. They spend more energy. That’s good. In big competitions, it’s about hard work.”

He said that before admitting his coaching team demands a lot from players. “But, of course, we demand a lot. We believe that if you want to compete at your best, you need to train to replicate the intensity the competition demands.”

According to Pochettino, there are good signs for that in the first week of working with the squad. He likes the determination of the team to the point that he already sends warnings to competitors.

“What surprises me the most is the discipline to work in the whole stuff. If we’re capable of transforming the way that we work into competition, our opponents should be careful of us,” Pochettino said with a beaming smile. “I’m not just saying for tomorrow (Panama) or Tuesday (Mexico), but it’s also in the medium and long term, we can create a very strong side. It’ll be difficult to play against us”

But he wants to take it easy for the upcoming friendlies. He doesn’t rule out fielding key players regardless of their fitness level for the big games in the future. However, those who made the best impression from the training camp will get the nod for now.

“Against Panama, we want to put players who feel fresh. We’re not going to take risks with the players unless it’s in competitions like World Cup where every player wants to take part”

Winning at any cost

In terms of tournament games, Pochettino prioritizes getting results at any cost. He likes to build attacking play from the back, but that’s not necessarily the be-all and end-all.

“From the beginning, we need to respect our ideas of playing out from the back and build confidence in the players. We need to find a way for them to feel comfortable,” Pochettino started explaining his ideas before talking about the end goal. “But, sometimes, we need to be clever. Sometimes, we should play long passes.”

“We might need to find new ways. It’s about synching for the benefit of the team being closer to winning. We’re coaching the players, not ourselves. We need to coach the team and players. It shouldn’t end with blaming players. We want to provide all the tools for them to perform in the best way,” he said.

“All the winning teams – Madrid, Argentina and even Manchester City – are pragmatic. They want to win. People sometimes say ‘I’m going to die with my philosophy.’” Pochettino said before dropping the best line from the press conference. “No, I want to live. I want to win.”

PHOTO: Imago