Excitement is growing around north London as Mikel Arteta looks set to take the reins at Arsenal.
The Spaniard is well known in Islington from his five years at the club as a player between 2011 and 2016 when he won two FA Cups and was club captain for his final two seasons.
With Arsenal in the midst of an unprecedented slump of form, fans are hopeful that Arteta can be the spark that reignites their struggling campaign.
The 37-year-old is highly regarded by Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger as well as his current boss Pep Guardiola but this would be his first job as the main man in management.
But just because he’s not called the shots before that doesn’t mean Arteta hasn’t provided insight into his coaching philosophy before.
The former Arsenal midfielder got his coaching badges through the Welsh FA and videos from his time there can provide supporters with reasons to be excited for his arrival.
In Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney, the Gunners boast two of the most exciting young fullbacks in world football and if his comments here are anything to go by, it seems clear that Arteta intends to use both men to open up the Arsenal attack.
What’s more, the way in which Arteta likes to use his fullbacks will hopefully maximise the attacking potential of £72million summer signing Nicolas Pepe on the wing.
“These lines are here because I don’t like creating lines between the wide players,” Arteta explains during an FA Wales coaching conference.
“Why? Because the fullback passes to the wide player like this and his back is to goal. He can’t progress the play. Someone hits his bum, he cannot play it forward.
“When you are doing this, the angles you create, you are always receiving the ball like this.
“Normally they squeeze a little bit. From that moment, he needs to know: ‘I set the ball, I want the wide players to run from behind’.”
Arteta then explains how he wants the centre of his defence to influence the play, saying: “When we attack, I want the two centre backs and these players wide and high, ready so when we send the ball in the side, this guy has to arrive.”
