“He is the best in the world and the GOAT”- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta drops his pride and admits no one in the world is actually better than ‘ruthless’ and ‘relentless’ world class mastermind- Arteta looks forward to him and calls him the Greatest of all time- Not Ronaldo, Not Messi
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has lavished praise on to former colleague and Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola.
Speaking to the press, as shared by Football Daily, the Spanish tactical gave his two cents on his fellow countryman.
Despite the title rivalry between Manchester City and Arsenal last season, Mikel Arteta did not hesitate in lauding Pep Guardiola.
Mikel Arteta calls Pep Guardiola ‘the best manager in the world’
Recently, even Ilkay Gundogan admitted that his view on football took a complete 180 once he joined City to work with the two-time treble winner.
The now-Barcelona midfielder admitted that while he personally believed he knew everything there was to know about the beautiful game, the Catalan’s know-how made him realise that he actually had a lot left to still learn.
Mikel Arteta has echoed Ilkay Gundogan’s sentiments when showering praise on Pep Guardiola, who was branded as ‘ruthless’ by the i Newspaper.
“I always said that for me, he is the best manager in the world. I learned so much when we worked together. Just comparing the situation with Ilkay [Gundogan] and what he said about his time when he joined Pep for me when I was 15 and I went to Barcelona, and I realised that under Johan [Cruyff], everything that he was doing at that time, football became a very different sport to what I knew before them.”
Mikel Arteta also explained how much Pep Guardiola has impacted his vision, saying, “And he’s the one who made me think and made me feel the game in a completely one to the one I had before that.”
Pep Guardiola has influenced the game like no other manager of his generation
Mikel Arteta would be the first one to admit that his philosophy is mainly influenced by the one that Pep Guardiola has employed for over half a decade.
However, the Gunners head honcho would not be the only coach to make this admission, as Guardiola’s influence can be seen throughout European football.
Even at grassroot level, teams have started to be coached based on the Manchester City boss’ ideas, which goes to show how much he has transformed the sport as a whole; something his contemporaries cannot say.