Mikel Arteta’s record against Mauricio Pochettino as Man United job looms
Mauricio Pochettino is everybody's favourite to replace Michael Carrick at Man United. The Red Devils are awful this season, and they finally made the decision to cut ties with Carrick, reports David Ornstein.
Mauricio Pochettino is a manager that Arsenal fans know well, given his history with Tottenham and Chelsea. Now, he's set to add Man United to the list of Arsenal rivals he's managed.
Mikel Arteta's head-to-head record against Mauricio Pochettino
Mikel Arteta has only faced Mauricio Pochettino as a head coach twice. During those two meetings, Arteta won one, and they drew the other.
| Statistic | Arteta | Pochettino |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Goals scored | 7 | 2 |
Arteta leads the aggregate score against Pochettino by a remarkable distance. Across two games, Arteta's team has scored seven goals, whereas Pochettino's team has only scored twice.
Pochettino was managing in the Premier League long before Arteta, and he is mostly recognised for his time at Tottenham. Therefore, the two are not too familiar with each other as coaches, but they were teammates for a brief period of time at PSG.
Every time Arteta has faced Pochettino as a manager
The first time Arteta faced Pochettino as a coach was in October, 2023. Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge, and the Gunners found themselves two goals behind due to a Cole Palmer penalty and Mykhaylo Mudryk further rubbing salt in the wounds with a long-range goal. Towards the end of the game, though, Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice answered, clawing back for one point.
The second time is what Arsenal fans will remember the most, though. At the Emirates, in April 2024, the Gunners dismantled Pochettino's Chelsea by a scoreline of 5-0. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring, and Ben White even scored a brace! The man of the match, though, was Kai Havertz, who shut the travelling Chelsea fans up with a brace of his own... and even celebrated against his former club.
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Premier League | Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea |
| October 2023 | Premier League | Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal |
Could Pochettino become Arteta's next Manchester United rival?
Mauricio Pochettino managed the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup, but he is widely linked to the Man United job.
In fairness, it would be a good appointment for the Red Devils. They need a manager with experience in the Premier League who can man-manage and act as a puppet for those above him - Pochettino has great experience of that! They won't be getting a track record of winning trophies, but Man United don't need that right now; they need someone to ride the storm, and Poch can do that.
Whether Pochettino sticks around long-term remains to be seen, but he seems certain to be in the hot seat when Arsenal face Man United at the Emirates Stadium just before Christmas.
READ: The 14 players who played for Arsenal and Manchester United
What Pochettino's appointment could mean for Arsenal
It's always the case when a new manager takes over a struggling team that rival fans fear the 'new manager bounce'.
As far as Man United is concerned, it can only get better from here on out. Pochettino won't challenge Arteta for the title anytime soon, but Arteta will know better than most that Poch is an astute tactician who can give him a hard time when Arsenal and Man United meet.
