Mauricio Pochettino Reveals How He Uses Experience as a Parent to Influence His Management Style

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he approaches coaching and his relationship with his players in a similar way to that of his relationship with his sons as a parent.

Describing first becoming a father in 1995 as his 'best experience', Pochettino explained to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think sometimes the parent wants to describe our relation with our child as like a friend, but it is impossible because you always will be the dad or mum.

"I don't know if the word 'friend' describes the relationship between a parent and child properly.

"What I try to do is to be there, for all that they need - unconditionally," he added.

For Pochettino, simply 'being there' as a parent is important and that is something he has translated into his work in coaching and management.

"Maybe the player wants to be close, if they need some help, if they need to share with you problems from outside or they need help on the pitch," he said.

Man management is a key component of modern day coaching, regardless of the level of the players in the dressing room, and understanding each individual's personality, like you would with children as a parent, is crucial to getting it right.

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"It is about the character, the personality, and your son or my two sons are completely different. One is more close, another needs more distance, and you cannot push them because you create a problem. But they need to understand that you will be there for them," he said.

"They need to understand, too, that they need to make mistakes and that you will be there not to criticise them but to say: 'Yes, you have to make mistakes to get experience and to learn from this experience.'

"It is not only when you have success but when you fail, too, that can be the most important."