Mikel Arteta has made a huge impact at Arsenal and his influence is there for all to see at the club’s London Colney training ground.
The Gunners are riding high in the Premier League this season, five points clear of defending champions Manchester City and on course for their first title win in 19 years. Those are heady heights and they have been over three years in the making for Arteta, who has built from the ground up since taking over from Unai Emery in December 2019.
The former Arsenal midfielder has taken what he learned while working under Pep Guardiola at City and implemented it in north London. The 40-year-old’s passion and personality is clear on the touchline and the way he wants his players to work can be seen at the training ground.
GOAL has noted that Arteta has installed a club badge alongside the words “train to win” on the floor, ensuring that the players had to walk over and read the message every day. There are similar positive messages around the Emirates Stadium, including “play for the badge”.
The messaging appears to be having the desired effect, with Arsenal possessing a strong team spirit and camaraderie under the Spanish coach. It has been evident in the impressive recent run of four straight wins in the Premier League which put the club back on track following a wobble that included three defeats and a draw in succession.
While the main focus is on the Premier League, Arteta is refusing to disregard the club’s chances in the Europa League. The team has flown to Portugal for the first leg of their last-16 tie against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday.
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During his pre-match press conference Arteta was asked whether he would approach the two-legged tie differently due to his side’s position in the Premier League.
He replied: “Our priority is the two competitions. We have to earn the right in that competition to continue as far as we want. Tomorrow we’re going to face a really difficult opponent.
“The best way to prepare for any competition is to win the previous match and having that confidence and that proper emotion to approach the next game. Tomorrow we will if we play well and are able to win the game, for sure we’ll be able to prepare better for the next game.”
Asked to explain the thinking behind his lack of squad rotation for such fixtures, he added: “Because we have one team and we have to play the games with the best possible players to win it. There have been moments where we have made eight changes.
“We try to accommodate. Players have moments throughout the season, players are available and not available throughout the season. For sure we will try to put the best team to win the game.”
