Mikel Arteta insists that Arsenal will face a different Chelsea side on Wednesday, given the Blues’ recent improvement under Mauricio Pochettino.
There is also a strong respect between both managers, with Mauricio Pochettino and Mikel Arteta both playing as Paris St-Germain players between 2001 and 2002.
All of that respect will turn to brief rivalry, with both sides needing to win to achieve their respective campaigns between now and the end of the season.
Arteta has huge respect for Pochettino
“I have huge admiration for Mauricio because I’ve known him since 23 years ago and I really wish him all the best,” Mikel said during his Monday afternoon pre-game press conference.
“He’s an incredible manager, he’s a huge leader and he will inspire the club to get what they want to get, that’s for sure”
“They have made huge improvements. I think they deserve to be in a much higher position in the league, when you look at what they’ve done and what they’ve produced in games – they’ve reached a final, they’ve reached a semi-final, they could have been through. I think what Mauricio is doing is really impressive, so I’m sure that he’s going to get them there.”
“Enjoy? I have to play against him, he has to play against me! It’s two huge clubs, a London derby, a massive game for us and we have prepared in the best possible way.”
Asked if Chelsea’s league standing surprises him, he added: “I think the journey of those clubs are very, very different. Nothing to compare in my opinion. It’s a huge admiration for Mauricio because I’ve known him since 23 years ago and I really wish him all the best. He’s an incredible manager, he’s a huge leader and he will inspire the club to get what they want to get, that’s for sure”.
Reflecting on Arsenal’s win against Wolves last time out, Arteta said: “In terms of size it was quite good. It really meant a lot to us. We are in a great position in the Premier League, we’ve been like this for nine months, nine and a half months, where we want really to give it a real go and be really determined to do what is in our hands to try to lift that trophy and tomorrow we’re going to have a very tough opponent in front of us and we will try to overcome that opponent again.”
On a final note, VAR has faced scrutiny in recent weeks and Arteta was asked whether officiating needs to change.
“No, I think it will evolve. The game is evolving, I think the officiating will probably evolve in the direction of the game, and the technology as well. There will be new rules for sure, they’ll implement the rules in the future, and we have to be open to that”.
