Arteta on dreaming about the Arsenal job, coping with pressure and mellowing out
Today at 04:09 AM
In the second half of Mikel Arteta's pre-Palace press conference, the manager continued to reflect on his five years in charge at Arsenal, discussing the challenges of stepping into such a significant role at a young age, the process he has undertaken to change the club’s culture, and his unwavering dedication to self-improvement.
Here’s what he had to say…
On his voice sounding different now compared to the day he took the Arsenal job…
You see, I’m changing. [I was] probably terrified. You haven’t coached anybody at the highest level and in the middle of the season without any preparation, without really a coaching staff, you get asked to do this amazing and big job. And I was looking around at the people that were making that decision and they were so convinced. So, first of all, obviously, you want to respond to that trust. I had very strong feelings towards the club. So I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t disappoint anybody, [and prove] that I was capable of doing it. The only way to do it is to start day by day and start to experience that, start to get close to the players, to the staff and see, okay, this can work.
On Arsenal being a mess when he took over…
Yes, because there’s a lot of situations that kept surprising us, that it was very difficult. The COVID one brought all the kinds of stuff that made life much more difficult – one, internally and the limitations with how we could change the squad and the staff. There were a lot of issues. And the other was related to we could not communicate with our supporters. So that distance was something that I was really worried about because I could absolutely break anything before we started. But they had some patience. We started to win games and it started to look better. And we had the time to shape it up and it started to build what we wanted.
On changing the club's culture, cancelling player contracts and how difficult that was for him…
The first thing is understanding what is a good culture and a bad culture. And to do that, what I did is basically ask [that question] through somebody, that I employed, to give me their opinion of how they feel to work in this football club, whether it’s players, staff in all kinds of roles, in all kinds of responsibilities. And then I had a very clear picture of what they thought and how they felt about it. And it was clear that it had to be changed.
On that review being pivotal…
Yeah, because those were the roots of our football club. If those roots were damaged at that level, there was nothing to build without it. So the first emphasis, where we had to put the energy and the big decisions was to make sure that those roots were clean and were in the right context, in the right place to be able to create and build what we wanted to build.
On who he employed to review the club culture…
A person that is specialised in that, a very good friend of mine. I think it helped. It brought a lot of clarity and it’s not something random that is a feeling. I wanted to get away from a feeling, because in the past this happened. No, no, it’s not a feeling, it’s a fact. You tell me how you feel every single day about this, about this relationship, about the way we communicate, about your part, your responsibility, this and that. And then it’s something that is real.
On the name of the person…
You’re not going to get the name!
On how he coped with so much pressure at only 37…
I have managed because I have people around me that they had a lot of faith and trust in me. And I have people that are much better than me in many aspects. Like always, surround yourself with the best people, with people who have more experience than you, a different vision, different kind of eyes, different ways of thinking. And make sure that you listen to them. You give them responsibility and they help you in the process. Because, obviously, I’m still very young and, as I said, I have so much to learn. But in that period, obviously, I had zero experience.
On mellowing out a bit since then…
I think so. I think it was necessary, I think it’s better, I think the players need different stuff, as I said before, and hopefully it helps them.
On his kooky coaching methods, including the use of lightbulbs, being highlighted in the Amazon documentary…
Well, thank God you haven’t seen a lot. That was just a small part! I haven’t seen it, so it's difficult to say. I think people have commented on those aspects, I don’t know. It’s the way I am. I like to think of different ways to inspire players, to get the staff players together. It’s a very special, unique generation that we have in our hands. It’s very different to when I was a player, even though I’m still young. So I think they require other stuff, and certainly the dressing room requires other stuff that probably now they don’t.
On the documentary showing a side of him that people didn't know previously…
Yeah, I think it was at the end, obviously. At the beginning, I wasn’t probably a big fan of it, because obviously we had enough [to deal with], and then we have to go through having cameras and mics every single day for 24 hours. There’s no intimacy. Everything is shared. Everybody was a bit worried. I think the reflection, especially from the club’s perspective, was it was positive to be transparent and for everybody to understand how we work, how much people care about this club. And if that was the case, then great.
On whether he's kept mementos of his first five years…
I have a lot, you know. It’s constantly recording. I have so many of those. The first day, honestly, it’s like a dream come true because I really dreamed about that moment. But really, realistically, three or four times! And talking to my wife, my kids, I think one day it’s going to happen. And when it actually happens, it’s like, is it really happening? So I better enjoy it, because I feel so privileged to be where I am and I don’t want to not do it because of the responsibility and what the role brings with it.
On whether he was joking when he said he's watch videos of the past five years to celebrate the anniversary…
No, I do that. And I have people who does that for me, for sure. My tendency is going to be looking and focusing on one thing, but I think I have to improve in many, many levels. My communication skill and the way I talk to players, decisions that I make, what decisions I make on the bench, when I have time, the way we prepare things, the staff that I have around you, are they in the right roles? Do they feel that they can increase responsibility? My relationship with the owners, the supporters, there’s so much on that job that you can get better at. There’s no limits.
On whether there were plans to mark his anniversary in the team hotel…
No, I've already done the tunnel and everybody hit me hard! So, that’s enough. Let’s focus on the game tomorrow.
On being motivated by the desire to be a perfect manager…
100%. And how imperfect we are, especially. And how many areas there are still to explore and improve. And that’s the beauty of this job. It is limitless. You can work 24 hours and you still have a lot of things to do. And every day is a new day. It brings you new challenges. And you open one window and it’s like, wow. And it gives you energy. And let’s explore that one. And I love that. Because I have as well a lot of staff that they are exactly the same. So, you get in the building and there is always that energy going on. And I think the players value that as well. Because if not, it becomes a little boring and very systematic every day.
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