Tottenham Hotspur have had a couple of years of instability, and the same is now true for Chelsea given all their off pitch issues and the downside that could come from their incredible spending in recent transfer windows, but having appointed Mauricio Pochettino to the Stamford Bridge dug out, his first match against Spurs was always going to be a memorable one given his previous time in charge of them.
There were plenty of favoured media talking points ahead of the game, not least Ange Postecoglou’s very unexpected start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium given their charge to the top of the Premier League tree, but it has certainly been more of a mixed and stuttering start to life for Pochettino, now he is back in London.
Upon taking the Chelsea job, the 51 year old knew it would only be a matter of time before he returned to the side he spent five years at before departing back in 2019, and with them up for the Monday night treatment, the Argentine said in his press conference on Friday.
“For me, it will be a happy day. We are professional but at the same time we are human and we feel. It’s really special to go back to a place where we created amazing memories together. It’s special, I’m not going to lie. That is true. When we left the club it was a difficult moment but now I have the opportunity to come back and see many people who are still working there. It will be an exciting moment.”
Pochettino did admit he was slightly unsure on what kind of reaction he would receive on his return to the club, but he was adamant it would not change his own feelings towards Tottenham given the memories he built during his time with them.
“I’m not going to say anything at the moment. Until Monday, we can’t guess. We can’t forget everything we lived together and I’m going to respect the people and how they feel. It won’t change my emotions, my feelings about a club where we had an unbelievable journey. I always said that the only clubs I would never manage are Arsenal, because they are considered the worst enemy for Tottenham, and Barcelona, because of Espanyol.”
Despite all the kind words expressed, there can be absolutely no doubting that Pochettino will be focused on the three points available on the evening, as he will be determined to improve Chelsea’s fortunes as we head towards the New Year.