Mikel Arteta praised for bringing back respect to Arsenal.
Former Arsenal player, Sammy Nelson has hailed the impact of Mikel Arteta since he became Arsenal manager as the Spaniard continues to rebuild the Gunners.
Arsenal had been close to becoming a laughing stock under former manager, Unai Emery, but Arteta has come in and changed the way the club is being seen.
Under Emery, the team seemed to be heading nowhere with the Gunners struggling to win games and fans turning against their own players.
However, things have turned for the better and Mikel Arteta has been credited with the turnaround.
Nelson, who played 255 times for Arsenal back in the ’60s and ’70s, believes that Arteta’s experience working as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager has been invaluable to the Spaniard bringing out the best in the same Arsenal players that Unai Emery struggled to motivate.
He claimed that Arteta has made the players look interested in playing football again.
“Because Arteta played for Arsenal, he knows the culture of the club and understands the fans,” Nelson said as quoted by Goal.
“He knows what he wants, and although he didn’t get the call for the manager’s job when Arsene Wenger left, I think he gained a lot of valuable experience working with Guardiola for another 18 months.
“He’s his own man and certainly he’s trying to shape the team the way he wants it. It’s only been a couple of months and it’s a slow process. It’s not easy. You have to take your time, especially being between transfer windows. There will be players he wants to sign and to get rid of.
“But considering the upheaval of the Unai Emery period he has been doing well. The Olympiacos result the other week was a setback, but we look as if the team wants to play again.
“He’s trying to bring the confidence back but also the relationship with the supporters. They want to see the players really trying all the time. If they see that, they’ll support you even if you lose. Arteta is trying to instil that respect for the club, the staff, the supporters, everybody – and respect for yourself.”
Nelson played for Brighton as well as Arsenal during his career and both teams will face each other again when the Premier League resumes this weekend.
