Last season was the first time in Wenger's 21 years in charge of the 'Gunners' that Spurs have finished above their arch-rivals and speaking ahead of Saturday's clash between the two sides, Pochettino has revealed his respect for the Arsenal boss.
"He [Wenger] is a fantastic manager, I respect him a lot and admire him," the Argentine explained.
"Of course, if you see the history, Arsenal was above Tottenham in the last 20 years. He deserves a lot of credit for that.
"To stay at a club five years, is because you are a good manager. If you stay 10 years, you must be very good. But to stay more than 20 years, it is because you are special.
"I admire him a lot, he is a very special manager."
Spurs already boast a four-point lead over Arsenal after just 11 games of the new campaign, but Pochettino dismissed suggestions that his side would be favourites ahead of the game.
"Arsenal is a great team. For me, there is not a favourite in this type of game," he said.
"He [Wenger] knows better than me, the derby is not only about performance, not only about playing well or not so well.
"It means a lot for our fans and means a lot for their fans. Always, it is special to play.
"It is not important what level you arrive into the derby. The derby is special and anything can happen."