Mauricio Pochettino finally makes his long-awaited return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, but in circumstances that few could have predicted; rather than a heralded return to the home dugout after four years away, he will be taking his seat as the away manager, in charge of Spurs’ fierce London rivals Chelsea.
That would have been a bitter pill to swallow for the Tottenham support if not for his Australian counterpart, Ange Postecoglou, who has turned the north Londoners’ fortunes around and guided them to the upper echelons of the Premier League table. In doing so, has helped the club to finally move on from Pochettino, ending years of clamour for his return. His early success is made all the sweeter by Chelsea’s coinciding struggles.
In their brief time in charge of their respective London foes, Postecoglou and Pochettino have enjoyed/endured contrasting fortunes, but Monday night will be a significant waypoint on both of their journeys. So, how do the two tacticians compare so far, and what lies ahead?