Chelsea signing Mbappe may spell disaster as Pochettino comments resurface

Pochettino endured a turbulent 18-month stint as PSG boss, partly due to the task of managing several elite names, including Lionel Messi, Neymar and Mbappe.

In November, four months after his sacking at the Parc des Princes, Pochettino didn’t hold back in his criticism of Mbappe.

The 51-year-old Argentine questioned his maturity and suggested he had a selfish side to his game.

“Mbappe is younger [than Neymar and Messi] and still immature. He is an animal; he has great charisma, but he still needs to find himself,” Pochettino explained.

“Leo and Ney are total players. They are more responsible, although in different ways, while Kylian keeps looking for himself.

To ensure fairness, Premier League clubs will never start or finish the campaign with back-to-back home or away games.

And clubs at home on Boxing Day will always play away on New Year’s Day or an equivalent date, and vice versa.

In terms of local sides playing at home on the same day, partner clubs such as Manchester City and Manchester United and Liverpool and Everton will never clash.

But the process becomes more complex for London clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, and there is occasionally flexibility.