Manchester United Football Club has confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the team's permanent technical director, starting next Wednesday.
The Argentine coach (54 years old) must start working immediately, as Manchester United is currently in the relegation positions in the English Premier League table after 10 stages, and a difficult test awaits him outside his stadium against his traditional rival Liverpool at Anfield on November 22nd.
In this context, the British News Agency reviews the most important urgent files that await Pochettino in his efforts to stop the deterioration of the team’s results.
Get crowd support
Manchester United fans clearly expressed who they bear responsibility for the team's worst start in local competitions in 40 years, as they intensified their protests against the club's owners (the Glazer family), CEO Omar Berrada, and sporting director Jason Wilcox.
Therefore, Pochettino finds himself required to gain the support of the fans, and his first messages will be crucial in building confidence with them as quickly as possible.
Impressing players with his tactical style
Pochettino takes charge of a team suffering from a state of confusion, and he will also have to gain the trust of the players. In light of the team’s lack of confidence and the absence of a clear structure for performance, he must establish a framework that guarantees stable performance on the field, and convince his players that his style, based on high pressure and energy, is the best way to lift the team out of this predicament.
The task will not be easy at all, as Pochettino will play his first match as head of United's coaching staff against Liverpool directly after the current international break.
Bruno Fernandes' future has been decided
Extracting the best from the senior players in the team, led by captain Bruno Fernandes, will be the key to unifying the team and employing individual talents effectively.
Uncertainty surrounds Fernandes' future after he rejected a second offer to renew his contract with the club, which expires at the end of the current season, so Pochettino must quickly identify the players he can rely on.
Bridging the gap at Old Trafford
After the dismissal of Michael Carrick, Pochettino became the eighth permanent manager to take charge of Manchester United since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, after a career that lasted 26 years.
However, the fans' demands are not limited to a change in coach, but also demand the departure of the Glazer family and other members of the club's senior management.
Pochettino, who has always sought a degree of independence in his previous training experiences, must build an effective working relationship with Jim Ratcliffe, Berrada and Wilcox, in an effort to heal the rift and overcome the current state of separation.
Resetting conditions on the training field
A number of former Manchester United players have often criticized the fitness levels, effort levels and mentality of the current squad.
Since Pochettino is considered a student of his compatriot Marcelo Bielsa, one of his first tasks, along with his supporting staff, will be to reset the work ethic on the training field and instill a winning mentality among the players.
The Brazilian national team will face a new confrontation against its Japanese counterpart when they meet, on Saturday, in an international friendly match in Singapore, 5 months after the Seleção's fatal victory over its Asian rival in the second round of the North American World Cup, but with long-term goals set by its Italian coach, Carlo Ancelotti.
Gabriel Martinelli snatched the winning goal for the Seleção team in the fifth minute of stoppage time, and led them to a 2-1 victory over Japan last June in Houston.
But Brazil's World Cup campaign ended with the same result against Norway in the 16th final.
Ancelotti is currently seeking to build a team for the future. His list of 26 players for the matches against Japan, this weekend, and host Singapore on Tuesday, includes 15 players under the age of 23.
The Italian coach told reporters on Friday: “The World Cup marked the end of a stage for a generation of players,” adding: “We are now working to build a new generation that will be ready and competitive in our next official entitlements, which are the Copa America Cup in 2028 and the World Cup in 2030.”
He continued: “I think we have great potential. We are watching the young players, including new faces who are with us here, and we are very satisfied with what we see.”
He added: “We have young players with a lot of quality and talent. Therefore, we look to the future with confidence.”
The 67-year-old coach did not want to single out any player with exceptional praise, explaining: “You can notice their behavior in training and the extent of their concentration. They have given us all great confidence in the future; Because we see players with a high level.”
He added: “They may lack some experience, and this is normal for young players.”
Barcelona's Spanish striker Rafinha, who is performing at remarkable levels with the Catalan club, will lead the Brazilian national team against Japan.
Rafinha said: “My expectations are positive.” It is clear that we are going through a rebuilding phase with the presence of new players, but I see elements with a high level and a great desire to give everything they have to defend the national team shirt.”
Rafinha participated in only two matches during the World Cup, due to an injury to the posterior thigh muscle.
He added: “This is a World Cup-level match, as we saw in the last World Cup. It will be a very difficult confrontation; Because we know the quality of the Japanese team.”
On the other hand, Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu recalled the eight years he spent at the helm of the coaching staff, amid expectations of his departure after facing Paraguay in Singapore, on Tuesday, to be succeeded by the coach of the Olympic team (Under-23 years), Go Oiwa.
Moriyasu said: “There are many things that we were able to achieve and succeed in, but on the other hand, there were things that we were not able to accomplish.”
He concluded: “I succeeded in expanding the base of options and enhancing the depth of the lineup.”
It was decided to appoint Valérian Ismail as technical director of Le Havre, on Friday, until the end of the current season, at a time when the club is currently at the bottom of the French Football League Championship standings.
The former French defender (51 years old) takes over as coach, succeeding coach Didier Dijer, and faces an extremely difficult task if he wants to maintain the club’s position among the elite French clubs.
Le Havre has not achieved any victory so far in its career in the French League during the current season, contenting itself with obtaining only two points in its first ten matches in the competition.
Ismail has a long coaching career, having previously led teams in Germany, Greece, Austria, Turkey, and England.
In a statement issued late Thursday evening, Le Havre Club indicated that Ismail had previously dealt with “emergency situations,” something that “may be very useful to him in the coming weeks.”
It is noteworthy that Le Havre Club, which was founded in 1872 and is considered the oldest club in French professional football, was acquired by the Blue Crew Group in July 2025.
The club's fans hold this group, which is based in Houston and operates several clubs, responsible for the team's troubling sporting situation, and earlier this month, groups of fans demanded the owners' departure.
