Lionel Messi has issued a ‘best in the world’ warning to Chelsea boss Tottenham Hotspur

Lionel Messi has warned Chelsea that Tottenham Hotspur have “one of the best defenders in the world”. Anj Postecoglou and Mauricio Pochettino will go head-to-head on Monday night in what promises to be a thrilling clash between the two London giants.

The Lilywhites sit top of the Premier League after 10 games and have one of the best goalscoring records in the division, with the likes of Son Heung-min and James Maddison wreaking havoc in the final third. Meanwhile, the Blues are struggling to qualify for Europe and are currently in 13th place with just 12 points.

Despite a slow start to the season, they managed a crucial win away from home against their arch-rivals, which could give their season some momentum. However, Chelsea will face Cristian Romero, named one of the “best defenders in the world” by compatriot Lionel Messi.

The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back has made a brilliant start to the season, helping Postkoglu’s side keep four clean sheets while conceding just nine goals – a top-flight figure in England Second-best defensive record in the league. The Inter Miami star had high praise for Romero in an interview with Telemundo on September 7 after Argentina beat Ecuador in their first match of 2026 World Cup qualifying.

“For me, he is the best defender in the world right now,” said Messi, who gave his team the lead in the 78th minute with a brilliant free-kick. “Excellent performance tonight, man of the match.”

Lionel Scaloni later echoed the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s thoughts. The Argentinian coach said: “I have nothing to say about Couti Romero’s game. During the home games, people motivated him, he thought he was Seaman, he can run 70 meters.”

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Chelsea may find it difficult to break through Romero’s backline, but the Blues have struggled in front of goal this season. Ahead of the game against Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino was asked how much he was working on attacking in training.

The 51-year-old said: “You can work every day and put in a lot of time. You can work, but progress depends on your confidence and how you feel. Sometimes players need time to restore their trust.”

“It’s not that you practice more. You need to have the right attitude, you need to be able to settle down, a good feeling, the will to do it. You can practice and practice and it’s the same, but if before your mind was on You can provide the right place.

“At the moment we are trying to regain trust in the attacking players. The most important thing is to get a good balance. You can feel that we are improving, improving, it is part of the process, part of the project, it is part of the process when young players come to Chelsea like this This is normal when it comes to clubs and demand is high from the start.

“Demand and competition don’t wait for you. You need to put all the details together, come from a different league, a young guy and put pressure on you. That’s why it’s about the process – I’m not worried, I’m not worried That, because we know what we’re doing, we’re going to perform well and translate our performance into good results.”