Mauricio Pochettino hints he could manage Tottenham AGAIN in the future… but insists he wants to beat his former club when he returns to Spurs for the first time as Chelsea boss on Monday night

• Mauricio Pochettino returns to Tottenham as Chelsea boss on Monday night
• The Argentine reached two cup finals with Spurs in five seasons
• Big debates on Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal on It’s All Kicking Off podcast 

Mauricio Pochettino has refused to rule out he may manage Tottenham again in the future, as he prepares to face his former club for the first time as Chelsea manager on Monday night.

The Argentine spent five-and-a-half years at Spurs, reaching the 2019 Champions League final less than six months before being sacked.

Pochettino will be in the visitors’ dugout when Chelsea make the trip to north London on Monday after taking over at Stamford Bridge in the summer and admitted he ‘cannot guess’ what kind reception awaits him at Tottenham.

The 51-year-old has been linked with a return to Spurs on several occasions since his left Spurs our years ago and hinted he may manage the club again at some point in the future.

‘It’s like life, you never know what is going to happen tomorrow,’ he said.

Mauricio Pochettino has refused to rule out he may manage Tottenham again in the future

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‘We need to enjoy today and not look too much in the future. But, for sure, if I’m not working, [and] maybe if they want me one day […] why not?’

Spurs developed into a top-four regular under Pochettino and played some exhilarating football under his watch, but trophies remained frustratingly elusive.

Tottenham lost both of the finals they reached under Pochettino, who six months after being sacked by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy revealed he was determined to return at the club to win a trophy.

For now, however, the former Argentina international is solely focussed on Chelsea and insisted he wanted to beat his former club and would celebrate if the Blues were to win on Monday night.

‘I want to win, I want to beat them,’ he added. 

‘When I play with my kids I want to beat them of course, or my dad or my brothers or my friends – I try to kill them.’ 

At the same time, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss acknowledged after only four months at Stamford Bridge his relationship with Chelsea fans is yet to reach the heights he enjoyed with their Spurs counterparts.

‘I hope we can arrive on the same level that I had at Tottenham because then it would mean we are doing really well here,’ he said.

Pochettino took Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019 (above) but was sacked by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy (right) six months later 

Pochettino’s choice to join Chelsea upset several Spurs fans, given the long-standing rivalry between the two sets of supporters.

The animosity between the clubs had an increase edge during Pochettino’s reign in north London, who suggested matches against Chelsea were bigger than clashes against Spurs’ main rivals, Arsenal.

Chelsea denied Pochettino a League Cup triumph in 2015 and an FA Cup final place by Chelsea in 201 and derailed Spurs’ title chances in the infamous ‘Battle of The Bridge’ in May 2016.

Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard publicly declared their hope that Leicester rather than Spurs won the league, as stopping Spurs became Chelsea’s sole motivation in the final weeks of a season in which they had nothing left to play for.

Trailing 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, the Blues came back to draw 2-2 in an ill-tempered game which all but ended Spurs’ chances of winning the title.

And Pochettino admitted he was well aware of the implications of crossing the divide from N17 to SW6. 

‘We cannot underestimate the Chelsea and Tottenham fans,’ he said. 

‘The Chelsea fans know we were at Tottenham, and the situation in the Champions League and the Battle of the Bridge… are we going to hide this emotion? No, it’s impossible.’

The Battle of the Bridge in 2016 marked a painful moment for Tottenham under Pochettino

For some at Tottenham, Pochettino’s choice to become Chelsea manager is unforgivable

But he also insisted he would not go out of his way to win over Chelsea fans on Monday night. 

‘I cannot say I forget all the things [at Tottenham], that would be stupid,’ he continued.

‘I’m going to be natural and show every game that I want to win. 

‘And at the same time I want to enjoy being at a place I was part of the process of creating something special there. I am really calm and I want to enjoy and hope for a good night for us.’

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