Mikel Arteta has spent his entire coaching career in Pep Guardiola’s shadow, but by guiding Arsenal to their first English title since 2004, the apprentice has finally proven he can be a match for the master.
Some will say it has been a long time coming; others will scoff at Arsenal’s style, but after three successive runner-up finishes, the club’s faith in Arteta has been rewarded.
Many have tried, and failed, to replicate the mesmerising style of Guardiola’s teams, who have won 17 major trophies in a decade, including six Premier League titles.
Arteta enjoyed a close-up view of genius at work during a three-year spell as assistant at City and could have been excused for sticking religiously to the Guardiola blueprint. Instead he has forged a more pragmatic system built on zonal dominance, high pressing, defensive stability and, above all, a non-negotiable team ethic.
The native of San Sebastian has also used the dark arts of the game to turn an Arsenal side once derided as soft touches into a streetwise team that can win ugly.
Pre-rehearsed training ground routines have been central to Arsenal finally shaking off the nearly-man tag, and Arteta’s choice of Nicolas Jover as set-piece coach in 2021 to provide the marginal gains was a masterstroke.
> You have seen Mikel over a few years. He has got dark arts, like we have all had to have at different times because you are desperate for your team to win. You have to find ways of winning; that’s part of the job. You can play as good as you like, but winning is the thing that really matters
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> — David Moyes, former Everton manager
Arsenal have broken the Premier League record for the number of goals scored from corners this season, with Kai Havertz’s winner against Burnley on Monday the 18th.
More than one third of Arsenal’s goals have come from dead-ball situations, and they have won 1-0 on eight occasions.
One pundit said Arsenal would be the ugliest Premier League champions. But Arteta and Arsenal’s fanbase will hot care, and you will also not find many rivals criticising.
“You have seen Mikel over a few years. He has got dark arts, like we have all had to have at different times because you are desperate for your team to win,” his former Everton manager David Moyes said.
“You have to find ways of winning; that’s part of the job. You can play as good as you like, but winning is the thing that really matters.”
Arteta’s path to glory since replacing Unai Emery in 2019 has been far from smooth.
He won the FA Cup in his first season in charge, but Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League, and when they repeated that position the next season, Arsenal’s 25-year run of playing in Europe ended abruptly.
Arsenal made their worst start since 1954 in the 2021-22 season, losing their opening three games without scoring a goal — a 5-0 hammering at Manchester City leaving them bottom of the table and Arteta under serious pressure.
> Arteta has been hands-on in making the fans feel like part of the team on match days, including personally choosing the song ‘North London Forever’ as a stirring pre-match anthem
Guardiola sprung to Arteta’s defence that day. “He is beyond a good manager. Trust him and he will do a good job,” he said.
Arsenal recovered, but the heat was on again at the end of that season when arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur pipped Arsenal to fourth place and a Champions League berth. That proved a turning point for Arteta and his connection with the Arsenal fans.
The next season, Arsenal won 13 of their opening 14 games in all competitions, with the team galvanised and the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium transformed.
Arteta made it his mission to banish the apathy that had crept in since the latter years of Arsene Wenger’s reign. “We need to ignite the atmosphere so they can play every ball with us because it makes such a difference,” he said.
Arteta has been hands-on in making the fans feel like part of the team on match days, including personally choosing the song _North London Forever_ as a stirring pre-match anthem.
Arsenal emerged as Manchester City’s chief rivals, but old frailties returned as a springtime slump ultimately cost them the title in 2022-23, and a year later they went toe-to-toe with City again, missing out on the final day.
The additions of players such as Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi this season were the final bricks in the wall, but the foundations had been laid.
Guardiola’s disciple stands as his peer, having reshaped Arsenal into a team defined as much by resilience and discipline as by flair.
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**The Herald**