Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed a stellar penultimate game in charge of the United States, thrashing Haiti 6-0.
The newly appointed Manchester United manager has just one game left before sinking his teeth into the job at Old Trafford.
He will link up with United on Wednesday, but first must navigate the second leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final tie with Haiti on Tuesday.
Here, Pochettino cut a fairly reserved figure on the touchline as he was rewarded for trusting youth – and even saw his team score from a corner, something United don’t do much of these days.
Without further ado, here are four things Manchester United fans learned from the win.
Mauricio Pochettino, dressed in a scarf, was fairly reserved as the United States beat Haiti 6-0
Youth will get a chance
Pochettino’s arrival spells good news for United’s proud tradition of promoting homegrown youth – it is glad tidings for the likes of Shea Lacey and Kobbie Mainoo. You wonder if, for a while, JJ Gabriel will look on forlornly from Real Madrid’s reserves.
The Argentinian handed out 13 debuts in the September-October international break, including to eight teenagers in one 4-1 victory over Peru.
His strategy was no different here as he started 18-year-old Julian Hall up front and Diego Kochen, 20, in goal – both players he has given debuts to this year. He was rewarded, with Hall scoring his fourth goal in just five games for the United States, while Kochen kept a clean sheet.
Despite his affinity for the stars of tomorrow, he is a hard schoolmaster. In a column for The Athletic in 2022, he revealed that he sat a young Harry Kane down for a brutal meeting where he showed him stats and clips to justify why he wasn’t playing him more.
Pochettino had known Kane’s potential from their first training session but wanted the ‘tough conversation’ to get the best out of him. Kane went on to score 169 goals under him for Tottenham, and now he’s the best player in the world.
His trust in fresh faces could inject some much-needed enthusiasm around the club, strengthen the squad’s connection with the fanbase, and increase the energy levels in one of the Premier League’s oldest, most lethargic teams.
The likes of Shea Lacey will be delighted at how Pochettino puts trust in younger players
Julian Hall, 18, struck his fourth goal in five games for the United States under Pochettino
The perfect manager for Bruno Fernandes?
Pochettino has a history of getting the most out of attacking midfielders such as Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Adam Lallana. You can add Cole Palmer to that list too, though he was primarily a right winger under him at Chelsea.
Manchester United desperately need him to get a tune out of Bruno Fernandes, who has cut a frustrated figure this season and whose creative efficiency has declined – though he still has nine goal involvements.
If Christian Pulisic’s performance against Haiti is anything to go by, Fernandes will be happy. The attacking midfielder scored twice, playing a free role and being given penalty duty.
The 28-year-old was also asked to muck in defensively, and that’s something Fernandes is willing to do. Across the seasons, he has often covered more ground than any of his team-mates.
Pochettino and Pulisic have seemingly had a distant relationship, despite the latter’s insistence to the contrary. The manager branded it ‘b*******’ when the AC Milan star opted out of the Gold Cup last year, and left him out of his selection a couple of months ago, bringing in 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan.
Asked about Pochettino’s upcoming final game, Pulisic said at full-time: ‘We’re treating it like any other game.’ No emotion on display.
Depending on how you interpret Fernandes – either a die-for-the-badge club servant or a primadonna – Pochettino could draw the best or worst out of the Portuguese.
Pochettino often gets the best out of attacking midfielders – will he work well with Bruno Fernandes?
He has had a distant relationship with Christian Pulisic, but the AC Milan star scored twice here
Defenders to push up high?
Pochettino tends to push his defensive lines high up the pitch and his strategy with the United States has been no different.
They were almost caught out for trying to play the offside trap early on as a simple ball from midfield sent Danley Jean Jacques through one-on-one, forcing Kochen into a good save.
Meanwhile, full-backs Antonee Robinson and Alex Freeman were constantly pushing high and overlapping in his 4-2-3-1 system – although you’d obviously expect a strong level of intent when they’re favourites against Haiti.
Given his high-line tradition, Pochettino may well favour more mobile defenders such as Leny Yoro and Patrick Dorgu.
The battle for Harry Maguire will be to convince his new boss that his other qualities compensate for his lack of pace.
Pochettino takes inspiration from the frenetic football of Marcelo Bielsa, who managed him at Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina.
But he’ll have to balance his philosophy with the reality of United’s woeful defensive record this campaign. Just the 15 goals conceded in the last five games…
Pochettino showed an eagerness to intervene early in the game – a possible boost after Michael Carrick suffered from slow starts
How will his touchline work compare to Carrick?
Pochettino is typically seen as an animated character on the touchline, in contrast to Carrick’s statesmanlike behaviour, but he spent lots of time in his seat here.
He has calmed down somewhat these days – though he did kick a crate of bottles in frustration at the World Cup – and didn’t even react much when his team scored.
A major criticism of Carrick is that he takes too long to change things in-game, often going late with substitutions. Pochettino has traditionally leaned that way, too, but he was eager to influence proceedings here.
Even three minutes in, at a break while Antonee Robinson was being treated, he called Pulisic over for what looked like an intense tactical chat.
United have been plagued by slow starts this season, so it was encouraging to see Pochettino so alert and full of ideas early into the game. He could have coasted, really, but wanted to eke out every advantage.
