Mike Arteta explores his journey from Pep Guardiola’s assistant to his rival | OneFootball

The journey Mikel Arteta has taken from being Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City to becoming his biggest rival over the past two seasons with Arsenal has only added to the incredible suspense that hangs over the Premier League’s final day.

The narrative of master versus apprentice is hard to ignore, even if it seems like an unfair story pushed on a manager who has proven since joining Arsenal in 2019 that he is a very different beast to his former boss and mentor.

In an exclusive interview with France Football, the Arsenal manager addressed how it was important to him to distinguish himself from Guardiola. “You have to create your own story, and that’s what I do, by making my little modifications. Copy and paste does not work.”

However, this does not mean that he wants to distance himself from his one-time colleague. “The reality is that I learned a lot from Pep. And I am extremely grateful and happy to have had all these experiences alongside him.”

Mikel Arteta on where he differs from Pep Guardiola

Arteta continues by explaining where the differences begin to arise between the two managers, “I’m not rejecting anything, but you have to find your own way of communicating with the players. My training method is very, very different from his… My approach to individual development as well.”

Even the differences in the two teams have forced changes between the two managers, “The strategies of our clubs too, because they are different. City were already winning a lot before Pep. Not here. So you have to take all these aspects into account to build correctly.”

GFFN | Nick Hartland