argentine

Mauricio Pochettino has never shied away from speaking his mind, and this week the Argentine coach made clear where his loyalties stand. Asked if he could ever imagine managing Barcelona, Pochettino answered with a blend of honesty and conviction: “With my coaching style, I could coach Barça, yes. But I would never do it. I’m an Espanyol fan.”

For anyone familiar with Pochettino’s story, the remark was no surprise. Before his rise in England, where he guided Tottenham to a Champions League final, Pochettino’s identity was forged in Catalonia with Espanyol. He arrived as a young defender from Argentina, made …