Mauricio to Manchester?

Widespread reports have been circling this past week, linking Tottenham Manager Mauricio Pochettino to potentially taking over at Manchester United. The former Saints boss has been linked with the move since United's recent slump in form under Louis Van Gaal.

Pochettino has never beaten the Dutchman in 3 attempts

The topic was discussed on Sky Sports 'Sunday Supplement' show, with the panel agreeing that if Manchester United were to come calling for the Argentine, Daniel Levy and Tottenham Hotspur, would struggle to keep a hold of their man.

"I know Daniel Levy holds onto his players until the last minute" Shaun Custis of The Sun news paper told the panel. "But there would be no way Tottenham would be able to stop Pochettino from going" 

If Manchester United were to go for the Tottenham boss, you can't really argue against it. After getting the job at such a turbulent time at Spurs, Pochettino certainly deserves plaudits for the job he's done with what at first seemed a very un-cohesive set of individuals.

 Alongside his work at Southampton, his job done at Tottenham should be equally commended, which is quite the opposite to what Critics will be saying of Louis Van Gaal's handy work at Manchester United.

Currently sat in 5th position, the Red Devils are actually below Mauricio's men, who currently occupy 4th spot, which is the minimum requirement for Van Gaal this season. Additionally when bringing the form guide into the equation, Tottenham have the 2nd best form in the league over the past 6 games, pipped only by rivals Arsenal, compared to Manchester United, currently lying 16th.

Devilishly Dutch: Pochettino has failed to win against LVG in three attempts

Despite Pochettino currently just edging it in terms of league position this season, he has never beaten Van Gaals United, this run included a 3-0 thumping at Old Trafford last season. It must however be mentioned that he has still had some very impressive results against the other big boys like a 4-1 win against Manchester City, an emphatic 5-3 win against Chelsea and a 2-1 win against North London rivals Arsenal.

Another area where Pochettino Prevails is in cup runs. One thing Van Gaal can't boast about during his time in England is Silverware. His failure to compete in the Capital One Cup was again present this season, losing to Middlesborough on penalties to be knocked out very early on. 

Combine this with being knocked out of the FA cup by Arsenal last season, his record doesn't paint him in the best light in terms of cup runs. Mauricio on the other hand, reached the Capital One Cup final at his first attempt, only to be beat By Chelsea. Say what you want, but it was indeed Spurs, not the Devils who played at Wembley and that deserves applause. 

Mauricio Like Moyes? Could Pochettino 'hack' the big time?

One last little bit of food for thought would be: Could Pochettino handle the big time? Famously David Moyes took on possibly the biggest club in the world after years of managing a medium sized club in Everton. We all know how that ended. It seems Moyes just couldn't handle the big personalties in the dressing room, the immense pressure of the media and the fans. Could Pochettino be a repeat?

Say what you like about Van Gaal and his style, but what he does boast is an impressive record at some of the worlds biggest clubs, managing some of the best players to have kicked a ball. While results aren't going his way right now, he does know how to handle such a mammoth task in Manchester United, the question is, Does Pochettino?