Former Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos played with the Gunners' current boss Mikel Arteta at Everton and believes the clues to his managerial quality were visible even then
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Philippe Senderos playing for Everton
Former Arsenal star Philippe Senderos played with Mikel Arteta at Everton
(Image: PA)
Philippe Senderos will be keeping a close eye on things in North London on Tuesday night when his former clubs Arsenal and Fulham face off. However, it was elsewhere that he got a sense of how Gunners boss Mikel Arteta would develop into a top manager.
Swiss international defender Senderos was part of the Arsenal team which reached the Champions League final in 2006. By 2010, though, he had fallen out of favour under Arsene Wenger and was allowed to leave on loan.
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Everton took a chance on the centre-back as they looked to solidify, having lost Joleon Lescott to Manchester City the previous summer. While he didn't do enough to earn a permanent move to Goodison Park, instead joining Fulham at the end of the season, he got a telling glimpse of Arteta's qualities - even as the midfielder was still in his twenties.
"He was a leader on the pitch, a vocal leader but also he would analyse the game to understand what was required and understand where we were at and how we could play on our strengths," Senderos told Mirror Football courtesy of newbettingsites.uk. "He's been brilliant for Arsenal, bringing Arsenal back to competing for titles and being up there.
"It's amazing to see, and I really believe this squad is going from strength to strength and the team is getting better. His approach is sometimes beautiful football but also has a pragmatic side where they sometimes defend deep, they do wait for the opposition to make the first step and commit, and I don't mind this approach.
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"I think you have to adapt to different styles of play," he added. "There will be games where you will dominate and others where you will have to understand what is required."
Arteta's experience as a player saw him work under Arsene Wenger and David Moyes, two managers with very different styles. However, Senderos believes the influences don't end there.
Mikel Arteta and Arsene Wenger at an Arsenal press conference
Arteta worked under a variety of top managers, including long-serving Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger
"He learned a lot from his football experience, having played in Scotland, having played in France, having played in Spain, in England," he said. "I'm sure all of these elements have given him tools that he's applying on a daily basis.
"His team is not only beautiful football, they can also be direct, and this might be taken from his experience and also the trends of modern football. I think there are some elements in there where you have to have an all-round balanced team to be able to compete."
After back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Premier League, Arteta finds himself poised to miss out on the title for a third season on the spin. His team are 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool with just nine games to go
Bukayo Saka scoring a disallowed goal against Fulham
Arsenal and Fulham played out a draw at Craven Cottage in December, with a Bukayo Saka goal disallowed
Arsenal's last two away games against Tuesday;s opposition have been tough ones. Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Fulham in December 2023, while the meeting 12 months later ended all-square, but the Gunners have never lost at home to Fulham in the Premier League.
Arteta is set to welcome back Bukayo Saka, though it remains to be seen whether the England star is risked from the start against Fulham. "Bukayo Saka is ready to go," the manager said at his pre-match press conference.
"All the careful things are already done. Now it's about putting him in the grass at the right moment. But he's pushing because he really wants to. We have respected the timeline and we have done everything. He is ready to go."
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