Mikel Arteta has now taken charge of as many Premier League matches at Arsenal as Mauricio Pochettino did at Tottenham. But how do their records stack up against one another?
We’ve taken a closer look at the league records set by two wildly popular figures on either side of the North London divide – and they’re actually remarkably similar.
Arteta and Pochettino never actually locked horns in a North London derby, having just missed out on overlapping. Pochettino was sacked by Spurs in November 2019, just a month before Arteta was appointed by Arsenal.
But the two coaches do have a shared history – having shared a dressing room during their younger days at Paris Saint-Germain.
“He’s one of the most [influential team-mates of my playing career],” Arteta told reporters ahead of a meeting with Pochettino, when he was Chelsea manager, in April 2024.
“I was 17 or 18 in Paris with no experience in professional football. He doesn’t like me saying it but to me he was like a father, he took me under his arm, he gave me incredible advice and protected me, he inspired me and I learned so much in our two years together.”
Like Pochettino, Arteta has had a transformative effect at his club – rebuilding them and turning them into a side that regularly finish in the top four.
“When I had to make a decision I asked him and explained the situation and he gave me some advice and he was needed,” Arteta added.
“I admire what he’s done in his career and he’s someone I’ve looked to because he was impactful to me in the most important stage of my career. As a role model I can’t pick anyone better.
“He doesn’t need to help me about tactics. The best influence he has had on me is the way he speaks about his life, his professionalism, his family and who he was as a figure in the dressing room and the passion and love he has for the game.
“That for me is the most important things which I learnt from him.”
Technically speaking, there is a slight discrepancy in how different stats sites judge Arteta’s total number of Premier League games as a manager.
Arsenal have played 203 matches since he was appointed as their manager in December 2019, but he was forced to miss the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on New Year’s Day 2022 after testing positive for Covid-19.
For the purposes of clarity, we’ve not counted that match in Arteta’s total tally. But that’s why there might be a slight difference in the numbers you might see elsewhere.
Here’s how Arteta’s Premier League record at Arsenal stacks up against Pochettino’s at Tottenham after the same number of games.
Mikel Arteta’s Premier League record at Arsenal
Games: 202
Wins: 120
Draws: 38
Losses: 44
Win Percentage: 59%
Loss Percentage: 21%
Points: 398
Points Per Game: 1.97
Goals For: 382
Goals Against: 204
Goal Difference: +178
Goals Per Game: 1.89
Goals Conceded Per Game: 1.01
Clean Sheets: 75
Mauricio Pochettino‘s Premier League record at Tottenham
Games: 202
Wins: 113
Draws: 43
Losses: 46
Win Percentage: 56%
Loss Percentage: 22%
Points: 382
Points Per Game: 1.89
Goals For: 376
Goals Against: 206
Goal Difference: +170
Goals Per Game: 1.86
Goals Conceded Per Game: 1.01
Clean Sheets: 69
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