Mauricio Pochettino tells Arsene Wenger to keep quiet about Tottenham

Before Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final win over Chelsea on Wednesday, Wenger said pundits 'celebrate some teams who have not been in a final for 25 years'

Mauricio Pochettino has told Arsene Wenger to keep quiet about Tottenham and insists all the praise heaped on Spurs is deserved.

Before Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final win over Chelsea on Wednesday, Wenger said pundits "celebrate some teams who have not been in a final for 25 years".

His comments were taken as a dig at Tottenham and Liverpool, who together have lifted only two trophies since 2008. Pochettino took exception to Wenger's analysis.

"I'm so young and only five years in the Premier League, in two clubs Southampton and Tottenham, but there's no point to talk about another team," Pochettino said. "Praise? Of course we receive praise. Football is not only to win trophies, it's the circumstances of different clubs.

"For me he is and will always be one of the best managers in the world, I respect him, but I think he needs to talk for himself and for Arsenal."

Pochettino added: "For me he is a special manager, but everyone sometimes makes a mistake and for me he made a mistake to talk about us or a different team."

Tottenham travel to League Two promotion hopefuls Newport on Saturday in the fourth round of the FA Cup, which realistically now represents Pochettino's best chance of winning silverware this season.

"We have to be ready to fight and put ourselves in the same level as them," Pochettino said. "The same motivation, no complaints, no excuse-finding, we try to believe that we are going to play against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Juventus in the Champions League."