Ahead Of NLD: Arteta Reveals Wenger’s Influence

Ahead Of NLD: Arteta reveals Wenger’s influence as he prepares his team to face London rivals, Spurs

Ahead of the first tie in the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham in the English Premier League today, Mikel Arteta has revealed Arsene Wenger’s influence on his career as a coach and a player.

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has narrated the influence former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had on his career and hopes he can learn his managerial style.

Arteta has disclosed that he often asks himself “what would Arsene Wenger do?” in certain some situations as he guides the current crop to their first premier league trophy since 2004.

The Gunners are gearing to play their city rivals, Tottenham, as they look to extend their three points lead at the top of the Premier League summit, with the Spanish tactician looking to emulate his mentor’s (Wenger’s) successes of winning three Premier League titles for the North Londoners.

Last week, Arteta called Wenger as one of his four main figures who had influence on his career, alongside Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and David Moyes.

While Guardiola, Moyes and Pochettino in football, and have always been Arteta’s direct rivals from the start of his coaching career, Arteta concedes that he still gets in conversation with Wenger about his role at Arsenal─but he doesn’t frequently need to.

“He’s there. He’s constantly living with me in the present,” Arteta told Sky Sports News’ Dharmesh Sheth in an exclusive interview from the Arsenal training ground.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him, what he lived and what he installed in me that allowed me to live in this football club.

“Arsene as a person has such an aura and a personality that he lives with you. He’s constantly here. When I have to reflect and think about certain things, I always go back to that period: what is the way that he would do it? What are the things he would analyse and then make that decision?

“Then it’s up to you and your personality to deliver what you think is best.

“And then also what Pep taught me. And what my father taught me, and my mother as well. And we are all made from these experiences and these references in life. The same with my wife.

“I would like to be in your seat as well, I would like to treat you and make you feel like if we changed chairs, it would be in the same way.

“When I’m thinking about a player, I would think: let me sit in his chair, see what he thinks. And probably you’d have a better idea of the situation.”

When he was asked of whom he turns to when in need of a leader, the Arsenal coach said: “Especially the players.

“They are the ones where if I’m in a certain emotional state where I’m lacking something, it’s probably going to come from there or the staff.

“I then have my family and then I have those four incredible mentors that are a big part of my life. I wouldn’t be sitting here if they hadn’t crossed my journey since I was a player. And I will be forever grateful.

“In their capacity, they have inspired me. And they are part of me. And sometimes I don’t have to pick up the phone, because the best thing is the example that they have set for me–the standards and certain behaviours that I learned from them in certain moments. That’s possibly the best thing to do.”

Can Arteta Now Be Called A Manager?

From the start of this season, Arteta has had a more relaxed figure since becoming the Arsenal coach. More composed on the touchline, but also during press conferences and dealing with the everyday pressure of ending Arsenal’s trophy drought across all competitions.

“It’s an evolution of a human being,” said Arteta about his apparent changed demeanour.

“A lot of things have happened in my life in the last two or three seasons that have impacted my life today.

“The needs of the team and the understanding and what kind of manager and leader the team needs right now, maybe it’s different to the one the team needed two or three seasons ago. That’s it.

“We can take that when I’m in the touchline, or when in a press conference, or dealing with issues that can happen daily in a football team. As a father as well, my kids are at a different age now and they require something else from myself now and they require something else from myself.

“I’ve been here six years, it’s different. The people around me are different now and they’re transmitting different things to me now.”

Arteta hopes that the club’s five-year wait for a major trophy comes to an etnd this season as the Gunners can boast of second most valuable squad in the world, only behind Real Madrid’s.

According to record, one thing has not changed, and this is Arteta’s record at the Emirates Stadium in the North London Derby, where it has always been a win-win encounters for him.

Arteta has never lost a home game against Spurs in ten games as a player and now, as the coach of Arsenal at the Emirates.

Will he extend his win-win record against their London rivals? It remains to be seen after ninety minutes of actions.