My Thoughts on Pochettino at Manchester United

A tactical look at how Pochettino could set Manchester United up, which players might suit his approach, and what recruitment is needed in defence and at full-back across January and the summer.

With it looking nearly like a done deal for Pochettino, I thought I'd give my thoughts on him becoming the manager of Manchester United.

I say manager, as he has always been more of a manager than a head coach, which if I'm honest I think a club our size needs a manager rather than a head coach.

Tactically, I think we have a decent basis of a squad for him to build on, but there are clear and obvious holes that will need filling.

On paper he typically uses a 4-2-3-1 shape, but in build-up that looks more like a 3-2-4-1 shape, not entirely dissimilar to the shape we would see under Amorim.

He likes his full-backs to push very high, almost like wing-backs, while his centre-backs split and his defensive midfielder drops deep between them to help with the build-up. He likes his No.10 to drop a little deeper to play alongside his No.8, with his wingers tucking in as inside forwards to form a box midfield shape with the No.8 and No.10, with the width coming from the full-backs. Then against low blocks, he'll get his striker to drop deep and pull a CB out, and create space for the wingers/inside forwards to attack.

So, thinking about how he likes his teams to play, we can assume which players he'll like and which he might not.

He needs his CBs to be mobile and able to play out from the back. Maguire and Martinez probably won't last beyond the summer. He did try to sign MdL previously, but unless he can get fit then that doesn't really matter. I think he'll like Yoro and Heaven (particularly Yoro), but it's obvious that he'll need at least two new CBs (which, to be fair, would be the case for whoever takes over). He'll want a focus on mobility and passing quality for the CBs.

Full-back is the most glaringly obvious position that he'll need new signings in, both at RB and LB. I can't see Shaw having the fitness to meet his demands, or Mazraoui for that matter. I can see him getting a tune out of Dorgu and Dalot, though; remember how poorly Danny Rose was thought of before Pochettino turned him into one of the best LBs in the league.

In midfield, I expect we'll see either Mainoo or Santos take on the role of the player who drops back between the CBs to help build up play, with Baleba taking the box-to-box role, then either Bruno or Tielemans being the No.10 who drops slightly deeper to help link play. I can see him wanting another athletic box-to-box player potentially at some point.

I think Pochettino will love the options of Cunha, Mbeumo, Amad and Lacey to play as his wingers/inside forwards. They all look really well suited to his style of play.

I can also see him liking both Sesko and possibly Zirkzee, who might be the right guy to play against low blocks. If Sesko is going to be back in January, properly back, then I wouldn't be surprised to see them wait until the summer to address the striker position.

I think Pochettino will demand a full-back and a CB in January, along with another full-back and one or two more CBs in the summer, along with a striker.

I think his reputation of developing and improving young players will mean the likes of Lammens, Dorgu, Yoro, Heaven, Mainoo, Baleba, Santos, Amad, Lacey and Sesko could all really develop nicely under him. I also wouldn't be surprised to see him get the best out of players like Dalot, Cunha, Mbeumo, and Zirkzee.

What will have to change, though, is the physical fitness and levels of stamina in the squad. The players will be made to work harder than many of them ever have as a bare minimum expectation. That might not be the case immediately when he takes over, but expect a tough pre-season for them.

From everyone I've spoken with, and from what I've read and heard, the biggest takeaway from Pochettino is how he is able to develop and make players better. Which is something I'm really looking forward to seeing: who he can improve within our squad. Like I said, I think he has a decent base to work with, although there are still at least a dozen more players we need to shift, and he'll need a whole new defence, probably a striker, as well as another midfielder with powerful running ability. That's 6-7 players; if they can get two in January, and another five next summer, then he should have the basis of a good squad. It'll then be down to him to get them fit enough, and to develop and improve them.

I'm feeling pretty optimistic about it.

Written by Shappy November 12 2026 22:22:28