Before the London derby in round 9 of the Premier League, coach Mauricio Pochettino praised his colleague Mikel Arteta for helping Arsenal improve continuously and compete for major titles this season.
"We respect Arsenal, it's a great club and Arteta is part of my family," Pochettino said on October 20 in a pre-match press conference. "The next match will be difficult because Arsenal are doing very well. They are candidates for every title, not only the Premier League, but also the Champions League. But we are confident that we will give our best and have a good match."
Pochettino, 51, is 10 years older than Arteta and played together at PSG in 2001-02. At that time, Arteta was still a young player in Barcelona's B team and played for PSG on loan, while Pochettino moved to Paris from Espanyol.
"Great memories. We shared the same values and passion for football," Pochettino recalled. "We went to Paris together, stayed in the same hotel room and then lived close to each other. It was a great journey. I'm not surprised because Arteta has had the qualities to be a coach since he was 17. He has a great understanding of football and can become one of the greatest coaches in the world."
Pochettino (middle) was friendly with Arteta (left) when they both played for PSG in the 2001-2002 season. Photo: Offside
Succeeding Unai Emery in December 2019, Arteta helped Arsenal win the FA Cup and the Community Shield a few months later. The Spanish coach helped the Gunners improve strongly, winning the Premier League runner-up position last season and then beating Man City in the 2023 Community Shield.
Pochettino has praised Arteta for helping Arsenal improve after a difficult start, with the board giving him the full trust. The Argentine coach admitted it was strange to face his former team-mate in a new role, but insisted Chelsea would go out with the aim of getting three points.
Before the international break, Chelsea won 4-1 at Turf Moor against Burnley in the eighth round of the Premier League on 7 October. For the second time this year, "The Blues" won three consecutive matches, after beating Brighton 1-0 in the third round of the League Cup and Fulham 2-0 in the Premier League. This is the first time Chelsea have scored more than three goals in an official match since crushing Southampton 6-0 in the Premier League in April 2022, and also the first time they entered the international break with a victory in 19 months.
Pochettino regrets that Chelsea's winning streak was interrupted by the international break and wants his players to quickly regain their best form. The 51-year-old coach said his players have improved mentally and are in a much more excited mood than a few months ago, when Chelsea experienced a turbulent first season under billionaire Todd Boehly and only finished 12th in the Premier League.
Pochettino at Chelsea's Cobham training ground on October 20. Photo: X / chelseafc
Pochettino revealed that captain Reece James has no problems recovering from injury and will decide on the England defender's availability before kick-off. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are all available, while Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson and Benoit Badiashile are doubtful, while Armando Broja is out with a knee problem. Chelsea are also without Carney Chukwuemeka, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku due to injury.
"It's not always bad luck," Pochettino said of Chelsea's injury situation. "Sometimes it's about the players' condition and their injury history. Chelsea are very professional and try to give the best methods and tools to make the players strong and feel comfortable. The injury situation of the team will improve over time. This is a new, young team."
Hong Duy
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