Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed on Friday that “role model” Mauricio Pochettino once advised him not to go into coaching as he prepares his side to take on Chelsea today.
The two men played together at Paris Saint Germain more than two decades ago, in the early stages of Arteta’s career. But they will be in opposite dugouts at Stamford Bridge this weekend, with Arsenal pushing for top spot in the Premier League table while Chelsea seek to continue their recent revival.
Despite ignoring Pochettino’s advice on coaching, Arteta spoke warmly about the Argentine at his pre-match press conference on Friday. “It was my first professional opportunity in Paris and we arrived together at the same time,” said the Spaniard, who was on loan at the club from Barcelona.
“We lived together in a hotel for three months. He was critical. He’s been one of the most influential people in my football career, first of all as a player. He took me under his arm. He looked after me like a little child, like a little brother, and he was a big part of the success I had in Paris because he really looked after me, gave me a lot of confidence and advice. He has been a role model for me since that day, not only when I was a player but as a manager as well because I had to make a decision to leave playing and start my coaching career. He had a big say in that and I will always be grateful for what he has done for me.”
Arteta, 41, revealed Pochettino, who has previously managed Tottenham and PSG, told him not to go into management. Arteta, smiling, said the Argentine, who is 10 years older than him, told him: “’Don’t go into coaching. It’s too hard’.”
“I knew he was going to be a coach,” he added. “I followed him very closely. As a player he was already a leader – the way he understood the game, he was phenomenal. I used to have him in my back and he was constantly coaching me.”
Pochettino, whose side have won their past two league games after a poor start, was quick to return Arteta’s compliments. “Amazing memories,” he said. “When you connect with a person like him, we share the values and we share passion of football, yes, I call tell you he’s part of my family from day one. We arrived in Paris together, we spent time together with our families, first of all in the hotel and then we lived very close. It’s an amazing history. It’s not surprising me what he’s doing, because he was a coach already when he was 17. He’s great, still really young and, of course, improving day by day. He can be one of the greatest managers in the world.”
Pochettino admitted that their relationship will be on hold for 90 minutes when he comes up against his friend for the first time as a manager. “All coaches are very competitive, we want to win and to destroy the opponent,” he said. “It’s going to be strange but at some point I’m going to feel proud to see him.”
Meanwhile, Manchester City will aim to avoid a third straight Premier League defeat for the first time in seven years when they host Brighton today. Four sides are in the running to top the table at some stage this weekend, starting with Liverpool when they take on Everton in the Merseyside derby.
City’s defeats by Wolves and Arsenal before the international break were the first back-to-back losses in the league for Pep Guardiola’s men since 2018. You have to go back to the days of Manuel Pellegrini in early 2016 for the last time the champions lost three in a row, but Brighton pose a significant threat to City, who are on a run of 20 straight home wins in all competitions.
Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)
Today: Liverpool v Everton (1130), Bournemouth v Wolves, Brentford v Burnley, Manchester City v Brighton, Newcastle v Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest v Luton, Chelsea v Arsenal (1630), Sheffield United v Manchester United (1900)
Tomorrow: Aston Villa v West Ham (1530)
Monday: Tottenham v Fulham (1900)
