“Maybe I learned more from him than he did off me”.

This was Pep Guardiola’s recent assessment of Mikel Arteta’s three years spent at the Etihad as his assistant, and if such a comment feels generous to the point of being charitable, it’s also closer to the truth than many would believe.

Brought in to develop his coaching chops under Manchester City’s chief-architect, Arteta’s influence swiftly grew to the extent where his opinion was actively sought and listened to by Guardiola, a shift in their dynamic that came across strongly in the Amazon behind-the-scenes documentary focusing on the club’s 2017/18 campaign. 

Indeed, so valued a presence did Arteta become in Manchester that in his final season he was handed sole charge of the team for a Champions League clash, with the Catalan sitting out a one-match touchline ban.

Still, for all that the former Arsenal and Everton midfielder propagated his own ideas with the Blues, this remained a pupil/mentor relationship, a privileged apprenticeship served under the very best. Everyone knew that.

Which is why when Arteta returned to the Emirates, to take on the big job there and to become the main man, a nickname accompanied him to the capital, one that diminished him from the off. Mikel Arteta was cast by early critics as ‘Pep Lite’.

Was this moniker fair?

Certainly, the football he oversaw in North London was of a similar brand to the one that gobbled up silverware at his previous employer, a successful mandate that once again sees City this season short-priced in the Premier League betting

Unquestionably, the two coaches were on the same page about a great many things, their philosophies aligned. 

Yet, there was – and is – significant differences in Arsenal’s methodology to City’s approach, with a high press that is more selective so as to retain structure and not be countered. Arteta also affords his players far more scope for individual actions outside of his blueprint. 

In truth, such was the mess he inherited at the Emirates that it took quite a while for these difference to come to the fore and initially at least, amidst the struggle and dropped points, only a strict adherence to a passing game was apparent. Arsenal for eighteen months or more, were essentially City Lite. 

Fast forward to now however, and much has changed and fundamentally so. Backed up by some shrewd purchases in the transfer market, Arteta-ball is flourishing, flying even, with the Gunners proudly residing at the league’s summit, a title bid in their nostrils. 

Indeed, not since the days of Henry, Vieira and the exquisitely-gifted Dennis Bergkamp have Gooners been blessed with a team of style and substance, one that is equally as capable of bewitching minnows or rolling up their sleeves against quality fare.

In the space of a week prior to a World Cup hiatus, a side bolstered by a terrific centre-back pairing of Gabriel and Saliba, firmed up in midfield by Thomas Partey, and sprinkled with Brazilian flair up front, thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0, then ground out a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Any side post-Wenger could have posted one of these results, but both? Never. 

It is a broad and complete remit that is a reflection on the model put in place by Arteta, a man who learned from the best, then added his own ideas for good measure. 

Most weeks now Arsenal are fancied in our Premier League predictions and that’s because at the helm is an alite coach with a singular vision. He is, by every metric, the real deal.


*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 5th December 2022

Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.

A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.