Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has credited the Arsenal managers longevity.
Arsene Wenger is celebrating 20 years at Arsenal
Some of the pressure which is typically resting on Arsene Wenger seems to have been alleviated by the Gunners boss’ landmark 20 year anniversary as manager of Arsenal this week. Praise today came from the manager of Arsenal’s North London rivals, Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine described Wenger as a “big character” and called his incredible longevity with Arsenal a “fantastic achievement.” Wenger’s Arsenal team overtook Pochettino’s Spurs team on the final day of last season to finish as the Premier League’s runners-up, behind champions Leicester City.
Pochettino appears to be a big fan of Wenger
Pochettino stated today that, “Twenty years in the same place and same club is a big achievement. Today in football, it’s difficult to think about that.”
“Only people with a big personality or big character like him or Ferguson can do that. I think it’s a fantastic achievement. Maybe one day it can happen with us too.”
The final sentence of the Spurs boss’ comments could be considered noteworthy, as the former Southampton manager appears to suggest he’d like to stay at Tottenham for as long as Wenger has stayed at Arsenal.
Despite being one of the most highly regarded managers in Europe right now, doing so would still be a monumental task. The next longest serving manager in the Premier League currently after Arsene Wenger is Eddie Howe, who has been at Bournemouth for 3 years and 346 days.
Emulating the Arsenal manager seems virtually impossible in the modern game
It’s not the first time Pochettino has praised the Arsenal manager, back in March the Tottenham boss described Wenger as a special person, comparable to that of Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona in terms of his consistency.
In Wenger’s two decades as Arsenal manager, the Frenchman has won 9 major trophies. Undoubtedly Wenger’s finest season was the 2003/04 campaign in which the Gunners went undefeated for the entire season.
Despite successes such as that, the former Strasbourg midfielder has come under pressure in recent years, largely because Arsenal have failed to win a Premier League title since that invincible season, and many accuse the Arsenal boss of lacking ambition.
The Gunners play host to Chelsea this weekend, whilst Pochettino’s Tottenham travel to Premier League new boys Middlesbrough. Both teams are currently in the top four, Tottenham with 11 points to their name and Arsenal with 10, after 5 games played.
Who will finish higher this season; Arsenal or Spurs?
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