Two of the best managers in the world will go head to head in the Champions League final on Saturday night.
Mauricio Pochettino’s work at Tottenham is finally starting to bear fruit while Jurgen Klopp’s transformation of Liverpool is just a trophy away from being complete.
Here, Sportsmail’s Matt Barlow and Dominic King run the rule over both managers’ strengths and weaknesses before they square off in Madrid.
Two of the best managers in the world will go head to head in the Champions League final
Mauricio Pochettino – by Matt Barlow
Tactical Nous: Values tactical flexibility – can go with three or four at the back and this year has introduced a midfield diamond to cope with his injuries and the fluctuating form of players – but Pochettino believes football is driven by other energies.
His coaching shifts beyond tactics and into collective trust and faith in each other. This includes his staff. Tactically, he prefers possession, likes to control the game, but isn’t averse to operating on the counter and can be direct as he has shown at times in this European campaign.
He is not afraid to switch the plan mid-game if he sees it going badly, although his ability to make tactical changes from the bench has been limited by his squad this season. Proof of his eye and coaching ability, however, is clear from the improvement of so many players in different positions under his instruction. 9/10
Mauricio Pochettino is willing to be flexible in his formations and is not afraid to change things
Temperament: Unashamedly emotional as portrayed by the tears in Amsterdam but very rare to see him explode into a rage, which is what made the post-match flashpoint with Mike Dean at Burnley all the more surprising.
Pochettino is usually in control, unless it is a planned outburst for effect. He noted last year, when beaten by Juventus in the last-16 of the Champions League, how the Italians had leaned on the officials at half-time and made Daniel Levy walk on the pitch with him before the last-16 tie at Borussia Dortmund.
In private, he can be clinical, cutting those from his squad who will not buy into his methods (see Etienne Capoue, Younes Kaboul, Paulinho and Emmanuel Adebayor in his first year at Spurs) while promoting those who do and carefully vetting the personality of those he invites into the group. The equilibrium is important to him. 9.5/10
Pochettino is usually composed but could not hold back the tears after his side beat Ajax
Experience: Irritated by continual references to the fact he has never won a major trophy as a coach, and he often likes to counter it by citing the Catalan Cup, won with Espanyol when Barcelona were hailed as the best team in the world. But, it is true, Pochettino does not have a wealth of elite experience behind him.
Certainly not to compare with coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti or Jose Mourinho. This is his first European final. But he does have great experience as a player at a good level in Europe with Espanyol and Paris Saint-Germain and on the world stage with Argentina.
He has also completed five years at Spurs, competing at the top end of the Premier League and with three campaigns under his belt in the Champions League, each better than the one before. 7.5/10
Media relations: A perfect frontman for Tottenham going into their new era despite his flirtations and casual threats to leave if they not ready to act like a ‘big club’.
Pochettino tackles his media duties with charm and good humour, maintains humility and good manners, rarely criticises the officials and admits his mistakes. He is generous with his time and tries to answer questions not dodge them. He offers genuine insight and examples to support his message and encourages his players to engage with the public.
His eagle-eyed assistant Jesus Perez monitors all that is said and written – even on social media – and is swift to raise a complaint with the reporters if he believes the manager has been misrepresented.
Equally, Pochettino can turn angrily on his inquisitors, sometimes for effect, or simply to avoid a subject, such as why a certain player was omitted from the team but he will apologise if he thinks he has acted out of turn and (with the help of a very good press team) his relationship with those on the Spurs media beat is excellent. 9.5/10
Pochettino gives insightful press conferences and is willing to admit his mistakes to the press
Likeability: People warm to him for reasons stated above. Pochettino is first and foremost a genuine person. He appreciates friendship and human values. He likes to shake hands, smile and engage, and when he asks how people are he actually wants to know. It is not an empty phrase.
He is loyal to his staff – argues for improvements to their contracts as well as his own – and to his players. As likely to drive his Smart car into training as the Bentley given to him by chairman Daniel Levy.
Very popular with most other managers, especially the Old School English, because he comes across as a football person, devoted to the game in its traditional sense, as a sporting contest and bonding experience and naturally suspicious of attempts to modernise it. Tottenham fans adore him and who can blame them? He’s magic, you know. 9/10
Quote-ability: The most quotable manager in the Premier League since the exits of Mourinho and Arsene Wenger. Not because he can deliver withering one-liners akin to Brian Clough and Bill Shankly but because his words are strong and his messages clear; he is ready to tackle issues and he is not afraid of his own opinion.
His English can ramble but his press conferences and especially his newspaper briefings are fascinating to hear whether he is hell bent on explaining a random analogy about experience, featuring cows and trains, or launching an attack on Guardiola for daring to call Spurs ‘the Harry Kane team’. 9/10
The Argentine’s media briefings are always fascinating as he opens up on several topics
Style: Twenty-first century house-trained Gaucho, in touch with nature, his rural Argentine roots and the rhythms of the earth and yet brandishing a Spanish passport, passing most free time in Barcelona and sipping on a charcoal smoothie as if to establish his sophisticated European veneer.
At least he has trimmed the Mario Kempes style unruly locks of his playing days.
Pochettino goes for the tracksuit for comfort or the collar-and-tie upgrade for a big game/TV game, although he did forget to change in Dortmund because he was distracted by the perceived injustice of an FA touchline ban for ranting at ref Dean. 8/10
Player relations: Fiercely strong and central to his entire philosophy. The players must buy into him and into his methods or it won’t work.
Hugo Lloris, who was looking to leave Spurs when he replaced Tim Sherwood as manager, was so indebted to Pochettino’s influence he presented him with the miniature World Cup trophy he received for winning the World Cup with France.
Likes to stay in touch and motivate remotely during international breaks with the help of WhatsApp groups. The bonds are so strong with many and if they break it usually signals the end, as with Kyle Walker.
Last summer when Pochettino realised there would be no new signings, he made a point of going back to repair relationships which he feared were fraying, such as with Toby Alderweireld in order to make it through this season, and into the new stadium without losing status. 9.5/10
TOTAL: 71/80
Pochettino makes sure he stays in touch with his players during the off-season via WhatsApp
Jurgen Klopp – by Dominic King
Tactical Nous: It was before the final last year that Klopp made a withering observation about how he and Zinedine Zidane had winged their way to Kiev. The assertion was that strategies are not his strong point.
‘That would be really funny,’ he said. ‘If the two coaches here had no clue about tactics!’ Klopp is not a manager who will make dramatic alterations and rip things up during a game if a result is going against him but his Liverpool team, without doubt, are supremely well drilled and know exactly what they have to do to win. Results show how often he gets it right. 8.5/10
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team have perfected their tactical style and execute it to perfection
Temperament: The Klopp you see on the touchline, all waving arms and shouting, is different to the man who works methodically and calmly at Melwood every day.
Preparing for a Champions League final will not put him into a different zone or make him do things differently. There have been moments when he has boiled over this season – Manchester United away was the only time he has looked out of control – but he has been in control for the last three months. You wouldn’t expect to see anything different in Madrid. 8.5/10
Experience: His critics will tell you that Klopp often loses finals but it is indisputable he has built up a back catalogue of working on the biggest nights.
This is the third occasion he has managed in a Champions League final and it is his fourth time in a European showpiece. The German won the biggest honours when he led Borussia Dortmund and these circumstances hold no terrors.
Sooner or later, he is going to win something big with Liverpool as he keeps taking them to the games that really matter. 9/10
Media relations: Whatever Liverpool ask him to do, he does and he has made those run-of-the-mill weekly press conferences a must watch.
Klopp is not a man who will cosy up to certain reporters and does not have favourites in the media but everyone is treated the same and every question is answered, which is not always the case in football.
He knows the onus is on to him to project the right image of his club and he does it without fault. 9/10
The charismatic German is always willing to do whatever media duties are required of him
Quote-ability: The one thing you want in this profession is a manager who will get you in print and Klopp is box office.
He once chastised himself publicly when reminded of words he conjured in Dortmund – ‘that’s my problem, I say so many shit things!’ – but his words are always entertaining and colourful.
Whatever the situation, you guarantee that Klopp will find the right tone (‘big balls football’ was the standout statement before Liverpool played in Kiev 12 months ago). The fact you could dedicate a standalone piece about his words shows how quotable he is. 10/10
Style: If you are talking fashion sense, it doesn’t cross his mind how he looks on the touchline. It is always a tracksuit and trainers, with a baseball cap.
Around Melwood, he rarely switches from his uniform of jeans, t-shirt and Converse pumps. If you are talking about football, it is cut from the highest end – slick, attractive and dynamic.
This observer has been watching Liverpool since the early-1980s and the only team that is comparable for style and flair is the class of 1987-88. Liverpool have been fabulous to watch since Klopp put his stamp on Anfield and nobody can say they do not provide entertainment. 10/10
Klopp very rarely deviates from his trademark club tracksuit and baseball cap ensemble
Player relations: He said it when he first arrived and he reiterated the point after the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona – Klopp is friends with his players but not their best friend.
He will make calls around team selection that infuriate players and is not one for giving them explicit reasons why he has made such decisions. But it is ridiculous to think that he should be laughing and joking with them all the time. He is a manager in a ferociously competitive environment, he is not trying to win a popularity contest.
What he does have, however, is the absolute trust of his group and knows how to inspire them. His team talk at Hope Street Hotel on the morning of the second leg against Barcelona is the perfect evidence. 9/10
Klopp is close with his players but far from their best friend and likes to maintain that position
Likeability: Fans of Liverpool’s historical rivals would put a big zero at the end of this section. They think he is a bad loser and want to see him fail. Does that matter to Liverpool supporters? Not in the least.
They have a manager who has restored their pride and put them back onto the biggest stage; he is a man who gives youth a chance, who improves players and who defends his club at all costs.
In the same way Manchester City fans feel about Pep Guardiola and Tottenham fans adore Pochettino, Liverpudlians wouldn’t swap their manager for the world. If he guides them to success in Madrid, his place in their affections will be cemented forever. 9.5/10
TOTAL: 73.5/80