After Unai Emery left Arsenal with not so good results and with an unhappy locker room, Mikel Arteta came in for the rescue. He took over in December 2019 when the Gunners were eight points off the top four and finished the season in eight place. It took him some time to steady the ship, as Arsenal finished in the same place the next season, and then started the steady rise with fifth place in 2021/22, and second place last season. This year, they are also in the title race which will be decided between the Gunners, Manchester City and Liverpool and they are currently in terrific form.🗣️Alan Shearer says he gets exhausted watching #Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta when the Gunners play: “Arteta, for example, is exhausting to watch, a whirling dervish constantly urging his players to move forward or drop back, as if conducting their every move. “Do the… pic.twitter.com/nPQuF8O7yE— Arsenal News Channel (@Arsenalnewschan) March 7, 2024 So far, Mikel Arteta has proved to be a top manager, as there are many current players who cited the Spaniard as the main reason they stayed/signed for Arsenal, but he was also ruthless when needed (see: Patrick Aubameyang). And there are people who openly admit they wouldn’t like to play for Areta, and one of them is the Premier League legend Alan Shearer. Newcastle’s former captain and hero wrote for the Athletic, and explained his reasons.“I never worked under an Arteta kind of manager. Someone manically cajoling, telling you exactly where to stand or exactly what to do. I’ve always been of the opinion that if you’re a good player, then you know that stuff anyway. If I felt I needed to drift out to the right wing or the left wing or even drop deep, I would do it myself. ‘And as a captain, I felt I had the authority to tell my fellow players to do something. If it needed saying, I would say it” he wrote.Meditation, early mornings, reading and dogs – that’s how Arteta keeps focused on footballObviously, a 260-goals scoring former footballer is an ‘old school’ type of player, and is not impressed with the way the game is coached today. On the other side, his only involvement as a manager was when he was an interim boss for his beloved Newcastle, but failed to keep them in the league, as they were relegated in 2009. Stil, Shearer acknowledges that there are footballers who like to be guided in detail by managers, and who have no problem being yelled at in front of tens of thousands fans.“Not everybody is like that, though. Some footballers are brighter than others. Some are needier than others. Some are more effective when they are given precise instructions and are forced to stick to them. Shouting, repeating, shouting again and reiterating straightforward messages might be the best way to get through. What I wanted from my manager was to be led, to be guided. I wouldn’t have enjoyed being ranted and raved at from the touchline and I can’t remember it happening too many times ‘Why would I have hated it? Professional pride. You’re playing in front of thousands of people in the stadium and millions at home on television and you don’t want to be embarrassed. It might sound thin-skinned, but teams are delicate. Relationships hold them together” he concluded.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE1/8 finals – first legWednesdaySporting – Atalanta 1-1 (1-1)/Paulinho 17 – Scamacca 39/Thursday20:45: (2.20) Roma (3.45) Brighton (3.25)20:45: (9.00) Qarabag (5.00) Leverkusen (1.40)20:45: (3.90) Sparta Praha (3.50) Liverpool (1.95)23:00: (2.00) Olympique Marseille (3.50) Villareal (3.80)23:00: (2.60) Freiburg (3.40) West Ham (2.85)23:00: (1.48) AC Milan (4.30) Slavia Praha (7.00)23:00: (1.60) Benfica (4.00) Rangers (5.70)***odds are subject to change***
