05 November 2023 , 19:00
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Mauricio Pochettino seemed to have fairly strong views on managing rival clubs up until very recently when he burned his Tottenham bridges to go and lead London rivals Chelsea.
The Argentine spent five years in the hotseat at Spurs and helped transform the club's fortunes, cementing them as Champions League regulars and even reached the final in 2019. However, after a brief, underwhelming spell as boss of Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino was back in the Premier League and back in the capital - only this time, with Chelsea instead.
The 51-year-old took the reins at Stamford Bridge before pre-season this summer and put a huge dent in his Spurs legacy in the process. His decision to return and guide an arch-enemy of a former side came as quite a surprise considering his previous comments on that exact situation.
Back in late 2019, the former Southampton boss emerged as a shock candidate to succeed Unai Emery at Arsenal at a time when the Spaniard was failing to get a tune out of the Gunners and was destined for the sack. However, it was a rumour that failed to really get off the ground due to past remarks from Pochettino.
Back in January 2018 when he was still at Spurs, the current Blues boss explained how he'd never take charge of Barcelona because of his links with Espanyol or the Gunners due to his Tottenham affections.
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"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. I am working like I am going to be here forever."
Emphatic comments and then some, yet five-and-a-half years later he broke his own rule by agreeing to steer the ship at Stamford Bridge. Pochettino is certainly well aware of the rivalry between Spurs and Chelsea, having been in charge of the north Londoners during the infamous 'Battle of the Bridge' clash in 2016.
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Mauricio Pochettino insisted he would never manage a rival of one of his former sides (Getty Images)Speaking in the aftermath of last Saturday's 2-0 league defeat at home against Brentford, Pochettino was pressed for comment on his feelings towards his old club ahead of Monday's reunion. He opted to look forward, rather than back.
"I think we cannot change our history and I'm very proud of my past, but we need to move on and now we are here," the Argentine told . "I need to show we are together at Chelsea.
"At the moment I am so happy and I hope that we can improve, but we are in a different project and we need to be clever in the way we develop ideas."