The French Cup isn't top of the list of priorities for Paris Saint-Germain but their exit from the competition on Monday night was another body blow for Mauricio Pochettino.
It probably sums up the way Pochettino's Parisian reign is going that PSG lost on penalties to Nice, but saw their own goalkeeper make the two decisive shootout saves.
Marcin Bulka is on loan from PSG to Nice and was the hero at the Parc des Princes. His saves earned a deserved victory for the visitors, who had been the better side in the 90 minutes against a strong team that included Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
For the first time in eight years, Paris St-Germain will not contest the Coupe de France final and that only increases the pressure on their last-16 Champions League tie with Real Madrid.
Pochettino has already all but sewn up the Ligue 1 title thanks to an 11-point lead, but PSG have lacked a credible domestic rival this season and haven't always convinced. The failure to overturn Lille last season put the Argentine on the back foot after his mid-season appointment and the quality of the football hasn't won over the locals.
The former Tottenham manager always looked an uneasy fit for such a star-studded squad and they weren't dominant in their Champions League group before Christmas. Finishing runners-up behind Manchester City has handed them that tie with Real and given Europe is where judgement falls for PSG managers, it is make or break for Pochettino.
No doubt Manchester United will be keeping a close eye on those two fixtures. It could yet present them with the perfect opportunity to solve their own managerial issues.
The French press are already claiming Pochettino could lose his job if PSG don't reach the Champions League quarter-finals, an outcome that might make him available to the Old Trafford hierarchy.
United's appointment of Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager was with the intention of finding a permanent successor this summer, a process which is headed by Pochettino and Ajax boss Erik ten Hag. But time is of the essence for United.
Whoever lands the job will be greeted with a sizeable in-tray, from appointing a backroom team given Rangnick has had to bring in his own short-term staff, to assessing the futures of at least half-a-dozen wantaway players.
United have to hit the ground running this summer. To have a successful transfer window in terms of incomings, they need to make swift decisions on players who are out of contract, unwanted or unhappy. If the process of appointing a manager drags on into June that will become problematic.
Paul Pogba is being told to wait until a new manager is in situ before deciding his own future, but that is a holding pattern that can only last so long given his deal is up at the end of June and the tempting offers from overseas could be flooding in already. Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Lee Grant will almost certainly leave this summer when their contracts expire.
There will be decisions to be made on Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial, on loan at Everton and Sevilla respectively for the rest of the season. Neither deal includes an option to buy and history could hint at Ten Hag wanting Van de Beek to stay and Pochettino seeing a future for Martial, but a new manager must make an early call on both.
Dean Henderson and Eric Bailly are both frustrated at a lack of playing time, with the latter in particular determined to force his way out if he isn't first-choice under a new manager. Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe and Andreas Pereira are all now senior players who might find they have little to no future under a new boss.
That is an awful lot of decisions to make before we arrive at incomings. A central midfielder top the shopping list but a new manager will always want to put his own stamp on a squad. That will be easier to do if the decks have been cleared.
So while United have always said their intention is to appoint a new manager this summer, in reality, they need to know who that is by the end of the season at the latest.
That could play into Pochettino's hands. He's had admirers in the Old Trafford boardroom for several years and given the circumstances, an unhappy and unsuccessful spell in Paris won't damage his standing too greatly. If PSG are knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, it could be good news for United.
