Sunday will see Mikel Arteta hit his latest milestone as our boss as he chalks up his 200th Premier League match as a manager when we take on Manchester United.
Mikel first took his spot in our dugout against Bournemouth in December 2019, and since then only his former boss Pep Guardiola has clinched more victories and points in the Premier League. In his first 199 matches, Mikel has won 118 times - the fifth-most victories of any manager in their first 200 in the competition.
There have been many memorable matches and moments during his five-year tenure, and he feels that seeing us put a complete performance together at PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday ranks in his top three highlights since he took our reins.
When asked for his sections, he suggested: “It’s gone fast! Number one would probably be the day that I was sitting here on the first day, fulfilling a dream of one day becoming the manager of this incredible football club. Then there are many others, but the other night was up there with one of the best because of the way we did it.
“There was a trophy, for sure. When we won the first FA Cup after everything we went through as a club and the COVID period, which was really difficult as well.”
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When pressed about if he’s seeking another double-century of matches, Mikel added: “We try our best. I have a lot of energy and I’m still very driven to have more success.”
Mikel will be hoping to toast 200 games with the three points he desires at Old Trafford, where he could become our first manager since Terry Neill in 1979 to complete back-to-back wins at United’s iconic home.
However despite their struggles this season and the fact we’ve beaten them four times in a row, the boss is adamant that the quality within their ranks means they have to be treated with respect - especially given they’ve beaten Manchester City, knocked us out of the FA Cup and performed well in the Europa League under Ruben Amorin.
“There’s a history of that at the football club - the players they have, the club that they have,” Mikel added. “Watching the game last night against Real Sociedad, it became very clear that they’re very capable of putting a really strong performance in and beat you on the day. We know the difficulty of the match and that’s what we’re preparing for.”
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