What Pochettino said about managing Arsenal as Chelsea boss faces London rivals

21 October 2023 , 05:00

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What Pochettino said about managing Arsenal as Chelsea boss faces London rivals

Mauricio Pochettino is set to renew his rivalry with Arsenal when his Chelsea side host the Gunners at Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino previously managed Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham between 2014 and 2019, with his last game in charge against the Gunners ending in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates after goals from Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane,

Since leaving Tottenham, Pochettino spent 18 months in charge of Paris Saint-Germain before returning to the Premier League with Chelsea over the summer. During that time, the 51-year-old was linked with a host of different jobs in English football, including Manchester United and a return to Spurs.

He was also mooted as a potential option for Arsenal at one time, but has previously insisted they are one of just three teams he will never manage due to his ties with Spurs. Speaking back in 2018, Pochettino said: "I am never going to be manager of Barcelona or Arsenal because I am so identified with Tottenham and Espanyol.

"I grew up in Newell's Old Boys and will never manage Rosario Central. That is my decision because I prefer to work on my farm in Argentina than in some places. But my commitment is massive in this club.

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"I am working like I am going to be here forever. But in the end, it is like the players, you never know what is going to happen in football. It is a lot of rumours about this, about that."

Now that he is back in the Premier League with Chelsea, Pochettino is looking forward to going up against Arsenal once again and expressed his admiration for the work Mikel Arteta has done. "Well I think we're going to play against a very good team, a team that in the last few years they are building a very good squad," he said.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has previously said he will never manage Arsenal (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

"They have a very good coach, I know Mikel [Arteta] very well, he's a very good friend. They are doing a fantastic job and it's a team that is ready now to compete for big things, that is why the challenge is really exciting to compete with them.

"We are in a different process, in a different time, but I think it's important to see how our players are going to compete against a team that is more mature." Pochettino did endure a difficult start to life at Chelsea, winning just one of his first six league games in charge.

However, they went into the international break in much better form after winning their last three games and Pochettino will be hoping they can continue that run against Arsenal. "I think the team is doing really well, we don't concede too many goals, we start to score goals," he added. "In the midfield area we start to connect and create a good link."

Matthew Cooper