“Poch getting schooled by 10-man West Ham” - Tottenham legend ‘likes’ derogatory tweet on Chelsea boss
Tottenham Hotspur legend Jan Vertonghen reportedly liked a tweet that took a dig at former Spurs and now Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino managed Spurs for five years, from 2014 to 2019, and is widely considered one of the club's best managers in the Premier League era. He helped them reach the 2019 UEFA Champions League final and compete for the league title in 2016.
Tottenham sacked Pochettino in 2019, and after a stint at Paris Saint-Germain, he has joined Spurs' London rivals Chelsea. He has, however, had a tough start at the club, drawing 1-1 against Liverpool last weekend and losing 3-1 against West Ham United on Sunday (August 20).
Against West Ham, the Blues dominated but still lost despite the Hammers going down to 10 men. Goalscorer Nayef Aguerd received a second yellow card after a late tackle on Raheem Sterling in the 67th minute.
During the game, a Tottenham fan account The Spurs Web took a dig at Pochettino, tweeting:
"Poch is getting schooled by 10-man West Ham"
Vertonghen, who was a key player under Pochettino, making 212 appearances under the Argentine manager, appeared to have liked the tweet.
The Belgian appears to have removed his like now. Vertonghen was a key player for Spurs, having arrived from Ajax in 2012. He made 315 senior appearances for them and also contributed 14 goals and seven assists.
Chelsea and Tottenham's contrasting start to their new eras
Both Spurs and the Blues struggled immensely last season, as they finished eighth and 12th in the Premier League respectively. While Tottenham sacked Antonio Conte, Chelsea sacked two permanent managers: Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
Spurs have appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager and have seen a major improvement in their first two games of the season. They put in a good performance at Brentford in the season opener, drawing 2-2. The north London side built on that performance to beat Manchester United 2-0 at home on Saturday (August 19).
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been the more dominant side in both their two opening games but have failed to register a win under Pochettino so far. They drew 1-1 against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge before losing 3-1 against West Ham.
The Blues have also had to deal with a host of injuries, with the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana suffering long-term injuries in pre-season. Captain Reece James and youngster Carney Chukwuemka have also picked up injuries in the opening two games.