Pochettino addressed specific claims that he forced Messi into a rigid wide-right position, explaining that player movement was often a matter of natural flow and recovery rather than a strict managerial instruction.
“Thierry Henry, who was commentating for Prime, said he didn’t understand why Pochettino had put Messi on the right wing when he was better alongside Neymar,” he explained. “To that, I reply: Pochettino and his staff didn’t deliberately move Messi to the right wing in the second half. Sometimes players find themselves in a defensive position to recover, to regain their energy, and that was the case with Messi.”
He further criticized the impact such commentary has on a manager’s reputation: “So, when a former player like Henry criticizes this situation and holds me responsible, it causes an uproar. We hear things like: ‘This manager doesn’t know how to play Messi. He doesn’t know how to use Mbappe.”