Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino, in his pre-match press conference ahead of the premier league fixture against his former side Tottenham, has opened up on the clubs in Europe he would never manage.
Pochettino, who addressed journalists before Monday's kick-off, spoke about his relationship with Spurs, revealing clubs he would never consider coaching in Europe. The Blues manager gave updates about players and the club ahead of kick-off and explained that the clubs he said he would never coach are Arsenal and Barcelona.
He said, “I said the only teams I would never manage are Arsenal and Barcelona. It is a strange feeling to come back at Spurs after four years… but it’s gonna be a happy day. I feel Spurs can really win the league, they’re doing excellent job”.
Update on Reece James' injury
Pochettino also cleared the air on the availability of Chelsea's captain, Reece James, ahead of the fixture. He acknowledged that Reece was available for the Carabao Cup victory for the Blues, but the England international still has to be assessed ahead of the London derby.
He said, "I don’t know; we’ll see first of all if he is available and then if my decision is to play with him from the start. He was okay after playing an hour against Blackburn. I think it was good for him to start the game and to feel him there again after a few months for the team, because he is our captain and he is a very important player. Now we need to assess him, if he’s ready or not to start on Monday."
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Update on Armando Broja's injury
He also confirmed that Armando Broja has made progress towards match fitness and might be available to start from the bench for the Blues. He said, ‘It’s good because today we were talking and maybe he will be available to be on the bench for Monday. He was training today and before in the last few days, and doing well. I hope that he can be involved in the game, but still it’s not confirmed.’
Check out the injury updates on all Chelsea players here.
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