According to journalist Lynsey Hooper, Pep Guardiola, who is Mikel Arteta’s mentor, has a significant influence on the Arsenal boss’ methods. The Sky Sports reporter claims that Arteta is copying Guardiola’s tactics. A feature he believes is risky if Arsenal are to outwit City and become the real deal.
Hooper told David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast, “The only warning that I would put out there about that is that you don’t want to be the person that’s always one step behind Pep, do you? So, like, Pep trials something, then Arsenal do it… But in order to beat Pep at his own game, I think you’ve got to do something different to him.”
Hooper’s claims may be understandable in certain ways. One could argue that the tactical move of Oleksander Zinchenko moving infield to influence play from midfield was already happening at Manchester City before the Ukrainian left. That, combined with Arteta now playing a defensive line of central defenders, as was the case versus Burnley, where he played central defenders as his defensive line, is a tendency Arteta is emulating from his compatriot, Guardiola, who has fielded a defensive line of all central defenders on several occasions.
However, while some of these strategies appear to have already been used at Manchester City, we can agree that others were originally deployed at Arsenal.
Arteta’s use of Havertz as a left-sided No. 8 in possession and then as a target man when not in possession is an original tactic. Yes, Arsenal took Manchester City’s tactical coach, Nicolas Jover, but you can’t say that Arsenal excels at set pieces because they copied City; that’s just their original tactical style.
Because Arteta and Guardiola were both trained in Barcelona earlier in their careers and have worked together, their methods will undoubtedly be similar. Who knows? Some tactical approaches may have originally been Arteta’s.
That being said, Mikel Arteta has already won two games over Guardiola this season; would he have done so if he was emulating him and playing catch-up?
The apprentice overtakes the master in the end.
Darren N
What is your TOP TEN Arsenal players of the Decade? – Watch the latest COUCH COACH PODCAST with Bjorn &Dean and listen to their choices
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
