Pressure? It comes with the territory for Mauricio Pochettino, what with his territory these days being the United States and the job of managing the men’s national team. For a World Cup. That the US will largely host next year. And yet Pochettino felt the dial turn a little further on the Friday before last when he watched a clip of Donald Trump hosting Gianni Infantino at the White House.
“Can the US win?” Trump asked his presidential counterpart at Fifa. To which, for a man as obsequious as Infantino, there was only one reply. Pochettino smiles. “Gianni said yes, but I was disappointed with this answer,” he says. “He should say: ‘You need to ask your great coach, Pochettino.’ Because for sure, he can give a better opinion.”
