Pochettino's 12km religious pilgrimage that saved Espanyol from relegation — and why it matters for Man United

Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed Manchester United head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract, replacing Michael Carrick at a club currently sitting in the Premier League relegation places. His first game in charge comes on 22 November, when United travel to face Liverpool.

The timing could hardly be more daunting. United have recorded fewer wins than any other side in the league so far this season, and the prospect of a genuine relegation fight — once unthinkable at Old Trafford — can no longer be dismissed outright.

Yet Pochettino has been in exactly this position before, and he found a way out. In January 2009, he took charge of Espanyol with the Spanish club rooted to the bottom of La Liga, eight points adrift of safety and with just ten weeks of the season remaining. Survival looked close to impossible.

What followed has since passed into La Liga folklore. According to reports at the time, Pochettino, his wife, and his assistant manager packed their bags and made a 12km hike to Montserrat — a religious mountain in Catalonia slightly larger than Mount Snowdon — to visit the black virgin shrine, which had been rescued from looting during the Spanish Civil War. Pochettino is said to have pleaded with the shrine to help his side beat the drop.

Whether divine intervention played a role is a matter of faith, but the football that followed was extraordinary. Espanyol won eight of their final ten games, losing only once — to Atlético Madrid — and drawing the other. A 3-0 victory over Málaga on the final day of the season secured a 10th-place finish, completing one of the most remarkable survivals in the division’s history.

The escape effectively launched Pochettino’s managerial career. He remained at Espanyol until November 2012 before moving to the Premier League with Southampton, then spent five and a half years at Tottenham, followed by stints at Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and most recently the United States national team. He will take charge of the USA’s final two fixtures during the international break before turning his full attention to United.

For a club that has never been relegated from the Premier League era, the current predicament is sobering. But if Pochettino’s history tells us anything, it is that he has confronted a seemingly hopeless situation before — and walked a very long way to fix it.