Gaffers: Ernesto Valverde and Mikel Arteta
Arsenal Football Newsletter
Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde said Mikel Arteta is “one of the best coaches in the world” as he prepares to face Arsenal in the Champions League.
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The Gunners will travel to the Estadio San Mames on Tuesday night as they look to improve on last year’s semi-final finish in the UEFA’s top competition.
Arteta’s Arsenal outclassed Athletic Club in a pre-season friendly in early August, winning 3-0, but there is far more on the line for the rematch.
Meeting the press before the match, though, Valverde made the surprise admission that his countryman Arteta is in the upper echelons of managerial talent.
Asked his opinion on the Gunners boss, he said: “One of the best coaches in the world, surely.
“What he is doing in Arsenal proves it. I do not say it just because Arsenal has great players, but because of what they do, how they play, their spirit, how they press you, how they do not let you play, how insistent they are in each duel.
“It is difficult to press them very high because they have resources to go out and play in the space.”
Valverde continued, admitting the Arsenal match would test his considerable managerial nous.
“When you are playing with one of the favourite teams to win the competition, it is clear that you have to tune very fine and take advantage of the opportunities that you can have and not concede too many.
“We have to admit that and we have to know what we have in front of us. It is like when Real Madrid and Barcelona come to play at that level. You have to make a perfect game to show your virtues and try to minimise what they can do to you, which can be a lot.
“We just played with them recently in the pre-season and we know more or less how they play and the level they have.”