Darren Bent has made the claim that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is a better coach than ex-Tottenham gaffer Mauricio Pochettino on TalkSPORT.
Mauricio Pochettino’s appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football seems to have driven a lot of conversation about his managerial ability, and Bent was more than happy to discuss the Argentine.
The ex-Spurs striker was asked whether or not Pochettino was a world-class manager, to which he replied: “I don’t think he is.
“When I look at elite managers that are out there I look at people like Klopp, Guardiola and even Ancelotti when you look at what he’s done.
“I know he’s been at Spurs, I mean he’s not won anything at Spurs, but to elevate him all of a sudden because he got the team to a Champions League final and a League Cup final, that’s not world-level management for me.”
Bent would go on to explain that he thinks he isn’t in the bracket of top-level managers, even claiming that two men who finished outside the top four last season were better than him.
“I think he’s good, but I don’t think he’s in that bracket.
“I’d put Brendan Rodgers ahead of him. I think Brendan Rodgers as a coach and a manager is absolutely superb, I think Arteta is a better coach than him as well.”
There is certainly a lot to unpack from Bent’s rant, but the biggest claim he makes here is certainly that Arsenal’s manager is better than Pochettino.
To be fair, Arteta does have more trophies in England than the Argentine, lifting the FA Cup last year.
However, we shouldn’t forget that he only guided Arsenal to an eighth-place finish last term, while Pochettino rarely had Spurs outside the top four during his tenure in north London.
It is hard to gauge how good Arteta really is as he hasn’t had a full season in management, but he is very highly regarded by his peers.
Meanwhile, Pochettino did leave Spurs under a dark cloud and those final few months at the club have blemished his record.
Although we shouldn’t forget how good his Tottenham side were when they were at their best.
There are certainly arguments to make on both sides.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
