Mikel Arteta has backed his “big brother” Mauricio Pochettino to turn things around at Chelsea after a shaky start to the season.
Arsenal, who hope to have Bukayo Saka and William Saliba fit for tomorrow’s trip to Stamford Bridge, are second in the Premier League and nine points clear of 11th-placed Chelsea.
Arteta, however, has seen signs of progress for the Blues since Pochettino took charge in the summer. The Spaniard has known Pochettino since 2001, when he joined Paris Saint-Germain as a teenager to play alongside him.
Pochettino, who is 10 years older, took a young Arteta under his wing, and the Arsenal boss views him as a role model.
Asked this morning if he thinks Pochettino can turn things around at Chelsea, Arteta said: “Yes, you can see already that something has changed very quickly.
“I think when you look first of all at the manager and coaching staff, and then the history and players that they have, it’s going to happen pretty quickly.
“I think they deserve more than what they have on the table already. You can see that they’re going to be up there. He was critical [for me], has been one of the most influential people in my career.
“Firstly as a player, he took me under the arm and looked after me like a little child, a little brother, and he was a big part of the success I had in Paris.
“It was because of him, because he really looked after me, gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of 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.
“When you had to make the decision to leave playing and start my coaching career, he had a big say on that and I will always be grateful.
“I knew he was going to be a coach and I followed him very closely, because as a player he was already a leader.
“The way he understood the game was phenomenal. I used to have him at my back and he was constantly coaching me.”
Arsenal can go top of the Premier League tomorrow with a win, as current leaders Tottenham are not in action until Monday.
