Former Tottenham striker Darren Bent believes Mauricio Pochettino is not a world class manager and explained why Mikel Arteta has already proven he is better than him.
The Arsenal boss is not even a year into his tenure at the Emirates, but has already delivered silverware and Bent also insisted Brendan Rodgers is far superior than Pochettino, who has been out of work since his sacking by Spurs last November.
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Pochettino spent five-and-a-half years in north London without winning anything, but guided Spurs to the League Cup and Champions League finals as well as a runners-up spot in the Premier League.
However, he cannot be regarded in the same category as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, according to former Tottenham striker Bent.
“When I look at elite managers that are out there: I look at [Jurgen] Klopp, [Pep] Guardiola and even [Carlo] Ancelotti,” he told talkSPORT’s Laura Woods.
“I can’t put Pochettino into that bracket yet. I know he’s been at Spurs, but he didn’t win anything.
“But to elevate him all of a sudden because he got to a Champions League final and a League Cup final, that’s not world level management for me.
“I think he’s good, but I just don’t just think he’s in that bracket.”
He continued: “You look at what Pochettino did at Spurs. He took them to a level.
“At the end of the day after all that great work that Poch had done developing these players such as Dele Alli and Harry Kane, [chairman] Daniel Levy still needed someone to come in and win them trophies.
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“It felt like Pochettino could not do that. Was getting them to a Champions League enough? Does that automatically capitulate into that elite bracket, because you took someone into a Champions League final? For me it doesn’t.”
Ally McCoist was in agreement with Bent and said on the same show: “There’s a level below it. You talk about levels of greatness, the top people in any sport – no matter what it is – win things.
“Mourinho’s a winner. He’s world class – definitely. Guardiola, Klopp. League Championship and Champions League. You get judged by what you do and how the trophy room looks at the end of the season.
“As a coach and a manager you can also be judged by development of teams and development of players. And in that respect I think he’s been excellent.
“But you’ve got to go to the next level and you’ve got to start winning cups and titles. “Great managers and coaches have titles and cups at the end of the day.
“I think he will go on to win things, I definitely do.”
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Bent referenced current Foxes boss Rodgers as someone who he holds in higher esteem than Pochettino, and says Claudio Ranieri and Arteta have also been more successful than him.
Bent explained: “I’d put Brendan Rodgers ahead of him. As a coach he’s absolutely superb.
“You look at [Claudio] Ranieri at Leicester. He took a team that had no right to win the Premier League and they went on to do it.
“He’s more successful [as a manager] 100 per cent. Arguably you employ managers to win you trophies and obviously they employed Ranieri who ended up winning the biggest one in England.
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“Look at [Mikel] Arteta at Arsenal, too. He’s a better coach than Pochettino as well. He’s not even been a manager for a year and look at what he’s done there.
“He’s identified the players he’s got there and knows definitely they weren’t great defensively. He’s changed that all completely around.
“He’s gone in there and won an FA Cup and a Community Shield, while beating some of the biggest teams out there. He’s managed to find a way of winning things.”
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