A visitor to Mikel Arteta’s apartment during his time working within Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff at Manchester City described the scene as a “football laboratory.” Arteta’s wife and children were overseas at the time and so the Spaniard was alone in a modest, but modern, abode — except it didn’t look like a home at all.
“The walls were covered in tactical charts and statistical data,” the visitor, a former employee of another Premier League club, told ESPN. “There were several television screens showing different matches simultaneously and papers everywhere. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
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Arteta’s meticulousness is the root of Arsenal‘s current resurgence. It was a factor in the Gunners risking appointing a novice in December 2019 and, after witnessing how his studious methodology delivered an improbable FA Cup success inside eight months, it was also why they promoted him from head coach to manager a few weeks later. That was a particularly significant move given the club’s shift away from focusing power on one man following Arsene Wenger’s departure in 2018.
He arrived at Emirates Stadium with question marks over whether he could manage a team effectively. This weekend, he will make the same journey to north London aiming to cement Arsenal’s position at the top of the Premier League instead. Victory for the Gunners would take them 14 points clear of Liverpool, their opponents on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s side would still have a game in hand, but such a significant gap at this stage of the season would only enhance the perception that these two sides are on markedly different trajectories at present.
The longevity of Arsenal’s renaissance is unknown, but their resurgence is undeniable. What is certain is that it’s born almost entirely of Arteta’s singular vision. The Gunners’ much-maligned owners, Kroenke Sports Enterprises, deserve credit for committing considerable cash in backing Arteta’s judgement, ranging from paying off unwanted players to pursuing new signings over the past two summer transfer windows at a cost of more than £250 million.
Those who have worked with Arteta speak of an intense character, one who is single-focused and relentlessly driven. Sources have told ESPN that some people at the club felt the 40-year-old had to modify his human touch; Arteta was a highly effective coach at City, but being the manager changes the dynamic with players and there were teething problems, not least with fringe squad members who weren’t always clear on why they were being left out.
That said, the unity and collective sense of identity Arteta has created is remarkable. Sources suggest Arteta was concerned about Arsenal being anchored in the past, rather than taking the best of its history to move forward. Installing a stronger work ethic and professional discipline was the first part; overhauling the playing squad to implement a new high-press, dynamic style was another. Even little touches — like the decision to embrace local lad Louis Dunford’s song “The Angel (North London Forever)” before matches — are all part of that wider missive to make Arteta’s Arsenal feel like something new.
And so, a match against Liverpool provides an opportune moment to test the foundations of this construct.
Arteta has faced Klopp’s side more than any other since taking charge: nine times across all competitions, winning just once in the Premier League. That victory — a behind-closed-doors match in July 2020 when Liverpool had already secured the title — was secured with two shots on target and 31% possession, similar numbers to the FA Cup semifinal and final wins over Manchester City (four, 29%) and Chelsea (three, 40%) respectively earlier that season.
